“India Urgently Needs a National Soil Health Policy”: Experts Warn as Pesticide Residues Threaten ₹50,000-Crore Basmati Exports at BioAgri 2025

Hyderabad, December 10, 2025:India’s ₹50,000-crore basmati rice export industry is facing a silent but serious crisis—pesticide residues—experts warned at BioAgri 2025, the country’s largest Biological Agriculture Conference, which opened today at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.

With key global markets such as the European Union, Japan and Iran insisting on near-zero pesticide residue levels, Indian exporters are under increasing pressure to comply with stringent norms. The EU has already slashed permissible Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for fungicides like tricyclazole to just 0.01 ppm—equivalent to one gram in 100 tonnes—making compliance a decisive factor for global competitiveness.

Alarmingly, EU rejections of Indian rice shipments jumped from just 3 alerts in 2020 to 37 in 2024, even as exports to the EU surged over 100% between 2019 and 2023, highlighting both rising opportunity and mounting risk.

Call for a National Soil Health Policy

Inaugurating the conference, Dr Sagar Hanuman Singh, Director-General of the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) under the Ministry of Agriculture, called for an urgent National Soil Health Policy, similar to those in Europe and the United States.

“Chemical agriculture has inflicted serious damage on our soils. Plant health and human health cannot be separated. India now urgently needs a national soil-health framework, clear guidelines and large-scale soil rejuvenation programmes,” he said.

He further warned that excessive pesticide usage is already impacting export viability for crops such as Telangana chillies, stressing the urgent need for residue-safe cultivation.

Biological Agriculture Is No Longer Optional

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. M S Reddy, globally renowned expert in sustainable agriculture (USA), asserted that the shift towards biological farming is now inevitable.

“Biological agriculture is not an alternative—it is essential. Two decades ago, BIPA built legitimacy for biologicals when none existed. Today, they are the foundation for soil regeneration, climate resilience, public health and farmer prosperity,” he said.

He added that soil fatigue, water stress, climate volatility and global residue intolerance are accelerating India’s biological transition.

Soil Health Is Public Health

Highlighting the human cost of chemical-intensive farming, Dr Bakul Joshi stated,“Parks are empty, and hospitals are full. Healthier soils mean healthier cities. We must shift from chemical dependency to integrated biological crop management.”

Echoing the need for collaboration, V. Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Kaveri University and former VC of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), emphasised that partnerships between public institutions and the biological industry must now become central to India’s agricultural transition.

Reclaiming India’s Biological Heritage

Dr John Peter, President of BIPA, reminded delegates that India practised biological agriculture long before the chemical era.“We followed biological methods eight decades ago. Then came the chemical wave. It is now time to reverse that trend and reclaim our biological heritage,” he said.

Providing a global outlook, Dr Venkatesh Devanur, Secretary-General, BIPA, announced that the organisation is exploring international expansion starting with Sri Lanka, and has signed an MoU with Kaveri Agri University for skill development.

Industry Growth & IPO Announcement

On the corporate front, Dr Linga Srinivasa Rao, CMD of Srikar Biotech (Eldorado Agritech), announced that the company is preparing for a ₹1,000-crore IPO, with preliminary filings already submitted to SEBI.

About BioAgri 2025 & BIPA

Now in its 5th edition, BioAgri 2025 is organised by the Biological Inputs Practitioners Association (BIPA)—the world’s oldest trade body for agricultural biology, predating both the USA’s BPIA and Europe’s IBMA.

The two-day conference, themed “Nurturing Nature, Nourishing the Future,” has brought together 200+ delegates, 40+ exhibition stalls, and industry leaders discussing:

• Biological inputs & innovations

• Climate-resilient agriculture

• Regulatory developments

• Emerging global market trends

BIPA currently represents 100+ industry members and is driving innovation, quality frameworks, policy advocacy and global leadership for India in sustainable biological agriculture.

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