FCO Schedule VI biostimulants: what buyers need to know
How India regulates biostimulants, what changed in 2025, and what distributors, brands and importers should check before they buy.
Timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 23 February 2021 | Notification S.O. 882(E) brings biostimulants under the Fertiliser Control Order and adds Clause 20C, with provisional registration (the G3 certificate) for existing products. |
| 2023 to 2025 | Provisional registration is extended several times, to February 2023, February 2024, February 2025 and finally 16 June 2025. |
| 26 May 2025 | A Gazette notification updates Schedule VI with approved biostimulant entries and their specifications. |
| 17 June 2025 | Provisional registrations end. Industry reporting puts the number cancelled at 9,352. |
| September 2025 | Industry reporting puts the number of fully approved products listed in Schedule VI at 146. |
What counts as a biostimulant
The FCO describes a biostimulant as a substance or micro-organism that stimulates physiological processes in plants, improving nutrient uptake, growth, yield, nutrition efficiency, crop quality or stress tolerance, regardless of its nutrient content. It covers categories such as:
- Botanical extracts, including seaweed extracts
- Bio-chemicals
- Protein hydrolysates and amino acids
- Vitamins
- Cell-free microbial products
- Antioxidants
- Anti-transpirants
- Humic and fulvic acids and their derivatives
- Live micro-organisms other than biofertilisers and biopesticides
Biofertilisers are regulated separately under Schedule III, and pesticides under the Insecticides Act.
What distributors, brands and importers should check
- The exact grade name and concentration on the label matches an entry in Schedule VI
- The manufacturer or seller holds the state authorisation to sell that grade
- A specification sheet and a recent test report are available for the batch
- Label claims stay within what the grade is approved for
- For private label, the manufacturer can supply the grade under your brand within the rules
Our approved grades
The Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat has issued Gujarat Bio Organics a No Objection Certificate covering 36 Schedule VI biostimulant grades and 11 Schedule III biofertiliser types. Each grade has its own page on this site, and copies of the NOC are available on request.
Sources
- Global Agriculture: India ends provisional registration of biostimulants (September 2025)
- Sunday Guardian: India unveils biostimulant rules (July 2025)
- Global Agriculture: Regulation of biostimulant products under FCO 1985
This page is a plain-language summary for buyers, not legal advice. Check the latest Gazette notifications or your state agriculture department for current rules.
Schedule VI questions
What is Schedule VI of the Fertiliser Control Order?
Schedule VI is the part of India's Fertiliser (Inorganic, Organic or Mixed) (Control) Order 1985 that specifies biostimulants: the product, its composition and the standards it must meet before it can be sold.
When did biostimulants come under the FCO?
Biostimulants were brought under the FCO by notification S.O. 882(E) dated 23 February 2021, which introduced a provisional registration period.
What happened to provisional registrations?
Industry reports state that provisional registrations ended in June 2025 after several extensions, and that only biostimulants specified in Schedule VI may now be sold.
How many biostimulants are approved?
Industry reporting from September 2025 put the number of fully approved products in Schedule VI at 146, with more than 9,000 provisional registrations cancelled. Check the latest Gazette notifications for the current list.
Which categories count as biostimulants?
The FCO definition covers categories such as botanical extracts including seaweed extracts, bio-chemicals, protein hydrolysates and amino acids, vitamins, cell-free microbial products, antioxidants, anti-transpirants, humic and fulvic acids, and live micro-organisms other than biofertilisers and biopesticides.
Are biofertilisers covered by Schedule VI?
No. Biofertilisers are specified separately in Schedule III of the FCO.
What should a distributor or brand check before buying?
That the exact grade on the label is specified in Schedule VI, that the seller holds the state authorisation to sell it, and that specification sheets and test reports are available.
Which grades does Gujarat Bio Organics hold?
Our No Objection Certificate from the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat covers 36 Schedule VI biostimulant grades and 11 Schedule III biofertiliser types.
Buy only listed grades.
Ask for our NOC copy and the grade list.