New Delhi, April 27 -- India has taken a strong stance at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), calling for the formulation of guidelines to determine default maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in the absence of international standards.

MRLs refer to the highest legally permissible levels of pesticide residues in food or feed products.

In a submission to the WTO last week, India highlighted that stringent MRLs can act as trade-restrictive non-tariff barriers, disproportionately affecting exporters from developing countries. Currently, there are no uniform international standards governing MRLs.

This proposal comes in the wake of certain Indian exports, such as spices from major brands like MDH and Everest, facing rejections by ...