The Central Consumer Protection Authority has ordered a detailed investigation into the online sale of an allegedly unregistered agro-chemical product after major e-commerce platforms removed its listings following regulatory notices.
The regulator said on Saturday that Amazon India, Flipkart, Meesho and JioMart had delisted “Cyclosinone Herbicide” with immediate effect and placed associated seller accounts under scrutiny.
However, the authority said the responses from the platforms were only a first step and that the matter would undergo a comprehensive investigation.
“The CCPA has placed the matter for detailed investigation,” the regulator said in a statement.
The notices were issued following a complaint by the Crop Care Federation of India, forwarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, alleging that the herbicide was being actively sold online despite not being included in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968.
According to the complaint, the product listings also failed to disclose the active ingredient and precise chemical identity of the herbicide, details considered crucial for informed purchasing decisions, particularly by farmers.
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Upon examination, the CCPA found that the listings lacked disclosure of the product’s chemical composition, valid licence numbers and their period of validity, mandatory statutory hazard warnings, and details of Principal Authorisation Certificates wherever applicable.
The authority observed that such omissions had the potential to mislead consumers, especially farmers and agricultural users who rely heavily on product disclosures for safe and effective use of agro-chemicals.
Invoking Rule 10(E) of the Insecticides (Second Amendment) Rules, 2022, which governs online sale of insecticides, the CCPA said e-commerce platforms were required to verify seller licences before permitting such listings.
Failure to comply amounted to violations of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, it added.
The regulator directed the platforms to furnish details including the date of initial listing, total number of listings since January 2024, particulars of associated sellers and the due diligence mechanisms followed to ensure regulatory compliance.
“Digital convenience cannot come at the cost of consumer protection, statutory non-compliance, or public safety,” the CCPA said.
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