The recommendation comes amid growing pressure from states such as Telangana and Odisha, which have already imposed temporary restrictions and sought permanent intervention by the Centre. | Photo Credit: MUSTAFAH KK

The Centre is set to impose a nationwide ban on Paraquat Dichloride, one of India’s most widely used herbicides, after an expert panel reviewed evidence linking the chemical to fatal poisoning, kidney failure, lung fibrosis and Parkinson’s disease, potentially disrupting a large agrochemical market involving more than 1,500 licence holders.

Sources familiar with the development said a committee comprising doctors and agricultural scientists has unanimously recommended complete prohibition on Paraquat Dichloride after examining its toxicity profile and public health impact. The recommendation comes amid growing pressure from states such as Telangana and Odisha, which have already imposed temporary restrictions and sought permanent intervention by the Centre.

The proposed ban could significantly alter weed-management practices across cereals, plantation crops and horticulture, while potentially increasing cultivation costs for farmers dependent on chemical weed control.

Paraquat is extensively used in tea, rubber, coffee, cotton, paddy, wheat, maize, potato, grapes and apple cultivation, besides weed control in canals, ponds and waterways. Its low cost and rapid action have made it one of the preferred non-selective herbicides in Indian agriculture.

The move would mark a reversal from the Centre’s earlier regulatory approach. In December 2015, the Registration Committee under the Agriculture Ministry had permitted continued use of the herbicide with safeguards such as improved packaging, cautionary labelling and medical training to handle poisoning cases. The decision followed recommendations of the Anupam Verma Committee, which reviewed 66 pesticides banned, restricted or withdrawn in other countries.

The government later constituted another subcommittee to reassess the safety, efficacy and toxicity of Paraquat Dichloride.

Trade data indicate that dependence on the herbicide has continued despite safety concerns. Imports rose from 8,598 tonnes in 2019-20 to 20,786 tonnes in 2022-23, according to sources. Domestic sales, after declining to 74,490 tonnes in 2020-21 from 1.13 lakh tonnes in 2019-20, recovered to 1.05 lakh tonnes in 2023-24.

Telangana banned the sale, distribution and use of Paraquat for 60 days from April 1, the maximum period states are empowered to impose restrictions under existing rules, and urged the Centre to prohibit it permanently across the country. Odisha had taken a similar step in 2023. Earlier attempts by Kerala to sustain restrictions were struck down by courts on the grounds that states cannot impose indefinite bans.

A February 2026 study published in The National Medical Journal of India described Paraquat as a “highly toxic compound” capable of causing severe illness and death through ingestion, inhalation or skin absorption. The paper, authored by Bharadwaj Sai, Satya Murthy Malla and Ananth Rupesh Kattamreddy of Andhra Medical College, Vishakhapatnam said: “A major concern for Indian doctors is the high number of deaths caused by intentional or accidental exposure to PQ. Paraquat poisoning is often fatal, and also causes high morbidity including hepato-renal failure, progressive fibrosis of the lung and Parkinson disease.”

Agricultural scientists and economists, however, caution that alternatives to Paraquat may substantially raise cultivation costs, particularly in plantation crops and labour-scarce regions where chemical weed management is deeply entrenched.

The same study noted that “herbicide substitutes may increase expenses by a factor of 2–10”, while non-herbicide methods could cost “10s to 100s of times the original”, though it argued that the health and mortality burden linked to Paraquat exposure far outweighs the economic savings from continued use.

Published on May 7, 2026