The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has instigated an inquiry into prominent e-commerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and JioMart, concerning the sale and promotion of an unregistered agrochemical product dubbed Cyclosinone Herbicide.
This watchdog, functioning under the aegis of the Department of Consumer Affairs, has issued directives to these platforms mandating the removal of the incriminated listings and an elucidation of their due diligence processes.
In a statement released on Saturday, the regulatory agency reported that the e-commerce entities had promptly complied by removing the listings, while scrutinizing the seller accounts linked to the product for further regulatory actions.
The case is currently under comprehensive investigation, as per the agency’s announcement.
Inquiries directed to the aforementioned e-commerce platforms by Mint remained unanswered at the time of reporting.
Unregulated Chemical
Cyclosinone Herbicide is marketed digitally as a chemical for weed control, designed to eradicate or suppress undesirable weeds, grasses, and broadleaf plants in agricultural settings, gardens, orchards, and landscaped fields.
CCPA has requested comprehensive details from the platforms regarding the initial listing date of the product, its availability duration, the total number of listings since January 2024, seller identities associated with these listings, and the due diligence protocols instituted by the platforms to comply with existing laws regulating the online sale of hazardous materials.
This regulatory action was initiated following a complaint channeled through the Ministry of Agriculture, stemming from representations by the Crop Care Federation of India, which alleged that the herbicide was being marketed online, disregarding regulations set forth in the Insecticides Act of 1968.
According to Section 18 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, no person may sell, stock, display for sale, distribute, or utilize any pesticide that lacks proper registration under the governing legislation.
The complaint contended that product listings and associated promotional content failed to disclose vital information such as active ingredients and precise chemical compositions, thereby depriving consumers—especially farmers—of essential safety and usage insights.
The CCPA has identified “serious deficiencies” in the manner in which the product was represented across these online marketplaces.
The agency’s statement highlighted that the listings allegedly omitted crucial disclosures including active ingredients, chemical compositions, valid license numbers, expiration dates, statutory safety warnings regarding hazardous substances, and Principal Authorization Certificates mandated by law.
The absence of such critical information has the potential to mislead farmers and agricultural users who depend on accurate product disclosures for safe handling and effective application of agrochemicals, as noted in the statement.
Furthermore, these practices raise alarming concerns regarding public safety, transparency, and regulatory compliance in the online marketing of hazardous products.
The consumer rights authority has invoked Rule 10(E) of the Insecticides (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022, which delineates specific protocols governing the online sale of insecticides through e-commerce entities.
This regulation necessitates that online platforms authenticate the validity of licenses issued to sellers prior to allowing the sale of insecticides on their sites and mandates adherence to consumer protection standards.
Timely Step
The current measures may compel e-commerce platforms to fortify their verification mechanisms concerning sellers of pesticides and agrochemicals, as per expert opinions.
E-commerce platforms cannot abdicate responsibility when hazardous or unregistered agricultural chemical products are offered via their portals.
Farmers depend on these platforms for legitimate and safe products, and any shortcomings in verification or disclosure can undermine agricultural safety and consumer trust, articulated Binod Anand, a farm expert and member of the government’s MSP committee.
Source link: Livemint.com.
