Import permit now a statutory requirement for insecticides imported for non-insecticidal use, including acrylonitrile: CBIC Instruction 18/2026-Customs

What CBIC has said

By Instruction No. 18/2026-Customs dated 1 October 2026, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs has brought to the notice of all Customs field formations a communication dated 21 September 2026 from the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage (Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare). The communication is about the Gazette notification of 8 July 2026 that amended the Insecticides Rules, 1971 and mandated an import permit for non-insecticidal uses.

The instruction asks officers to note it for information and compliance.

The rule behind it

The Insecticides Third (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were notified as G.S.R. 597(E) on 8 July 2026 and came into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. They add a new chapter to the Insecticides Rules, 1971 — “Manner of import of an insecticide for non-insecticidal purpose” — with rule 8A, and a new Form IA.

What the Registration Committee decided

In its 474th meeting on 30 July 2026, the Registration Committee observed that the notification is statutory and has the force of law, and must be followed by every applicant who wants to import any substance included in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968 for non-insecticidal purposes. In supersession of its earlier decisions on import permits, it decided that:

• all applications are henceforth to be made in the stipulated Form;
• applications for import permit already pending with the Secretariat of CIB&RC will also be dealt with under the revised guidelines, with the application form as it then was;
• a public notice with the guidelines and Form is to be issued, and the decision communicated to the Customs authorities and to DGFT.

Acrylonitrile

The Committee also considered a representation dated 24 July 2026 on the Gujarat High Court order of 19 November 2025, by which the import-permit requirement had been set aside to the extent of acrylonitrile imported for non-insecticidal use. Its view, as recorded: since the requirement is now stipulated in the Insecticides Rules, 1971 by the notification of 8 July 2026, obtaining an import permit is a statutory requirement for all substances proposed to be imported for non-insecticidal uses, including acrylonitrile. CBIC’s instruction repeats this.

What Form IA asks for

• Applicant’s name and address, and the premises where the imported insecticide will be stocked or used.
• Name of the insecticide with minimum purity, the source of import, and the annual quantity (in MT) proposed to be imported.
• The item manufactured with it, its licensed and installed capacity, and the function and percentage of the insecticide in the process.
• A self-certified copy of the industrial licence / factory licence / IEM, and Pollution Control Board clearance or consent for the current year (or whether renewal has been applied for).
• Self-certified year-wise quantity imported and consumed in the last three years, with the corresponding production of the end product.
• A self-certified affidavit justifying the quantity requested, for a first-time application.
• Whether the material is for domestic consumption, export or both. For domestic consumption: a declaration certified by the jurisdictional Industrial Health and Safety Office that the insecticide will be stored in a separate area. For export: the foreign buyer’s name and address, with a copy of the advance licence if applicable.
• If the quantity imported differs from the average consumption of the last three years by more than 30 per cent, a detailed justification of the nodal Ministry / Department / State Department of Industry.

The applicant also undertakes that the imported material is not for sale but for its own use as stated. If any information is found incorrect, the permit is liable to be cancelled without notice. An incomplete application is liable to be rejected without prior notice.

The one exception in the Form’s notes

For unit packs of 5 gm or less of Certified Reference Material or Reference Standards of insecticides/pesticides, an import permit is not required.

What importers should do

If you import a substance listed in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968 as an industrial input and not as an insecticide, expect Customs to ask for the Registration Committee’s import permit. Apply in Form IA before the consignment is shipped, and keep the three-year import-and-consumption record ready.