Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

When cars, scooters, cement, bricks, and a zillion other things can be bought online, why not pesticides? 

It’s a question that’s been asked many times by many people these past few years. But we won’t be going into why it wasn’t allowed so far in this edition. Except to note that it’s (finally) no longer the case. Because on 24 November, the Indian government issued a gazette notification allowing e-commerce platforms to sell pesticides, subject to certain rules and guidelines under the Consumer Protection Act.

 It’s a liberalising move. Especially when you consider that sale of spurious pesticides is endemic to the sector. 

Equally significant was last week’s news that the long-running pilot of direct benefit transfers (DBT) for fertilisers will undergo a data twist. One that will, hopefully, link land area to nitrogenous fertiliser use. 

And finally, we also got some data as Punjab’s official stubble-burning season came to a close on 30 November. Farmers in the state had burned only 1.4% less stubble than last year. 

Because farming habits are hard to change if the incentives aren’t right.