The Central Consumer Protection Bureau has launched an investigation into major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and JioMart, for selling and advertising an allegedly unregistered agrochemical product marketed as cyclosinone herbicide.
The consumer rights watchdog, which operates under the consumer affairs department, has issued notices to major e-commerce platforms, ordering them to remove the listings and explain their due diligence mechanisms.
The regulator said in a statement on Saturday that the e-commerce companies informed the authority that the listings were immediately removed while the seller accounts linked to the product were examined for further action.
The matter is now being thoroughly investigated, the statement said.
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The mint’s emailed inquiries to all the e-commerce players mentioned were not immediately answered.
Unregulated chemical
Cyclosinone herbicide is sold online as a weed control chemical for killing or controlling unwanted weeds, grasses, and broadleaf plants on farms, lawns, orchards, and landscaped areas.
The CCPA requested details from the platforms regarding the date the product was first listed, the length of time it remained available, the total number of listings since January 2024, details of the sellers associated with the listings, and the due diligence systems adopted by the platforms to ensure compliance with applicable laws governing the online sale of dangerous substances.
The action follows a complaint sent by the Department of Agriculture following a statement by the Crop Care Federation of India, which alleged that the herbicide was being sold online despite not being regulated under the 1968 Insecticides Act.
Under Section 18 of the Insecticide Act 1968, no person, either directly or through another person on his behalf, shall sell, store, exhibit for sale, distribute, transport or use any pesticide which is not registered under the Act.
The complaint alleged that product listings and promotional content failed to disclose key information such as the active ingredient and exact chemical composition, depriving consumers, particularly farmers, of critical details about safety and use.
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The CCPA noted “serious deficiencies” in how the product was listed on online marketplaces.
In a statement, it said the lists allegedly lacked disclosure of active ingredient and chemical composition, valid license numbers and validity periods, statutory safety warnings on hazardous substances and key authorization certificates required by law.
The omission of such information could mislead farmers and agricultural users who rely heavily on product disclosures to ensure safe handling and effective application of agrochemicals, the statement said.
He added that such practices raise concerns about public safety, transparency and compliance with the online sale of dangerous products.
The consumer watchdog cited Rule 10(E) of the Insecticides (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022, which specifically regulates the sale of insecticides through e-commerce entities.
The rule mandates that online platforms verify the validity of licenses issued to sellers and ensure compliance with consumer protection standards before allowing the sale of insecticides on their portals.
A timely move
The action could prompt e-commerce platforms to strengthen verification mechanisms for sellers of pesticides and agrochemicals, experts said.
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“E-commerce platforms cannot escape responsibility when unsafe or unregistered agrochemical products are sold through their portals. Farmers rely on such platforms for genuine and safe products and any error in verification or disclosure can directly affect agricultural safety and consumer confidence,” said Binod Anand, a farming expert and member of the government’s MSP committee.
