Centre Revokes Approval of Animal Protein-Based Biostimulants Amid Religious, Dietary Concerns: Report

Months after clearing them for crops like paddy, tomato, potato, cucumber and chilli, the Union Agriculture Ministry has withdrawn approval for 11 biostimulants derived from animal sources such as chicken feathers, pig tissue, bovine hide, and cod scales due to “religious and dietary restrictions,” The Indian Express reported.

The decision reportedly follows complaints received by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from individuals in the Hindu and Jain communities.

A biostimulant is a substance or microorganism that stimulates plant processes to improve nutrient uptake, growth, yield, quality, and stress tolerance, without supplying nutrients like fertilisers or controlling pests like pesticides.

In a notification issued on 30 September, the Ministry “omitted” the 11 bio-stimulants, made from protein hydrolysates, from Schedule VI of the Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order, 1985.

These products, previously cleared by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), were used for crops including green gram, tomato, chilli, cotton, cucumber, soybean, grapes, and paddy.

“No new category of biostimulants, which were not already in the market, were recommended for marketing. However, to avoid ethical issues and conflict with religious and dietary restrictions, biostimulants having protein hydrolysates derived from animal sources…were withheld till proper pre-harvest interval data is generated when used as foliar spray,” ICAR Director-General Mangi Lal Jat said.

Union Minister Chouhan had repeatedly highlighted the need for regulation in the sector.

“Around 30,000 biostimulant products were being sold unchecked for several years, and even in the last four years, around 8,000 products remained in circulation. After I enforced stricter checks, the number has now come down to approximately 650," Chouhan had said in July.

The Indian biostimulants market was valued at US$ 355.53 million in 2024 and is projected to grow to US$ 1,135.96 million by 2032, with major producers including Coromandel International, Syngenta, and Godrej Agrovet.

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