Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Only 3.1% of India's fruit, vegetable samples exceed pesticide limits
Farmers sometimes use chemicals called pesticides to protect fruits and vegetables from bugs and diseases.
These chemicals can be harmful if too much is left on the food we eat.
So, a big group in India called FSSAI makes rules about how much pesticide is okay.
The government tested lots of fruits and vegetables to check if they follow the rules.
They tested more than 70,000 samples from many parts of India.
Almost all of them, about 97 out of 100, were fine.
Only about 3 out of 100 samples had too much pesticide.
The government tells farmers how to use pesticides the right way.
They also have apps and training programs to help farmers.
This helps keep our food safe to eat.
Only 3.1% of 70,652 fruit and vegetable samples tested over the last three years exceeded FSSAI's Maximum Residue Limit for pesticides.
The samples were collected from 23 states and Union Territories through the Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level (MPRNL) project.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared the data in response to a starred question in Parliament on Tuesday.
The testing network includes 40 participating laboratories, with reports shared with state agriculture departments for farmer training on safe pesticide use.
21 states have constituted committees to monitor pesticide residues and strengthen Good Agricultural Practices and Integrated Pest Management.
- Who
- Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, responding to a starred question in Parliament on behalf of the Indian government.
- What
- Only about 3.1% of 70,652 fruit and vegetable samples tested across India were found to contain pesticide residues above FSSAI's Maximum Residue Limit (MRL).
- When
- Over the last three years, with the announcement made in Parliament on Tuesday.
- Where
- India, covering 23 states and Union Territories, with the statement made in Parliament in New Delhi.
- Why
- To assess pesticide residue levels in agricultural commodities and support farmer awareness and training on the safe and judicious use of pesticides.
- Samples tested
- 70,652 fruit and vegetable samples
- Samples exceeding MRL
- 3.1%
- Coverage
- 23 states and Union Territories
- Testing period
- Last three years
- Monitoring project
- MPRNL, running since 2005-06
- Participating laboratories
- 40
- Farmer Field School programmes (2021-22 to 2025-26)
- 1,353, benefiting 46,969 farmers
- States with residue-monitoring committees
- 21