Ten rules. One for every finger that touches the harvest.
Farmers act on clear rules and on market access. Explain what buyers ask for and what a rejected lot costs, then share these.
Ask where the crop is going
Export buyers follow the foreign country's limit, often far lower than India's.
Use only the approved spray list
Use products registered for your crop, and for export only those on your buyer's list. A product legal in India can still get a lot rejected abroad.
Spray only when you see the pest
Not by calendar, not because a neighbour sprayed.
Right dose, right gap
Use only the approved dose. More than the label permits can raise residue risk, harm the crop and create food-safety problems.
Count the days before harvest
If the label says 7 days, wait at least 7. For export, follow the buyer's spray plan; extra days alone do not make a lot pass.
Write down every spray
Complete records help show good practice, meet buyer requirements and strengthen your position in quality-based markets.
Never mix lots
Mixing one lot with residues into clean produce can put the whole consignment at risk.
Dry on a clean tarpaulin
Not on the road. Mould and dust cause rejections too.
Keep food away from chemicals
Store crops apart from pesticides, fertiliser and fuel.
Test as the buyer requires
Follow the buyer's testing requirements and a risk-based sampling plan. Where testing is required, use a qualified laboratory and link the result to the lot.
Six commitments for the unit
- Approve suppliers on spray records and test results, not price alone.
- No ethylene oxide, ever. No unapproved fumigants.
- Separate treated, untreated and organic material.
- Test every lot against the destination's list and keep retention samples.
- Track EU and buyer alerts weekly; treat each one as a corrective-action trigger.
- Train and audit staff hygiene. Residues and microbes cause rejections together.
What works on the ground
| Format | Audience | How to run it |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer Field School | Farmers on export plots | Season-long, weekly; side-by-side spray and no-spray demonstration plots |
| Village meeting with flip chart | Farmers, women workers | 45 minutes, one topic each time: waiting period, records, drying |
| WhatsApp voice notes and short videos | FPO members | Weekly reminders in the local language, matched to crop stage |
| Spray-record booklet or app with plot code | FPOs, exporters | Doubles as traceability evidence for buyers |
| GMP and hygiene walk-through | Processors, pack-house staff | Half day, checklist audit, photograph gaps and set fix dates |
| Dealer briefing | Agro-input retailers | Dealers shape spray choice; give them the export do-not-use list |