Will prescription system regulate the use of pesticides in India?
Henceforth, the farmers will be able to purchase fertilisers and pesticides only after producing prescription slip on the lines of doctor’s prescription provided at drug stores to buy certain drugs. The government has asked the agriculture extension officers to give prescription slips to farmers for buying pesticides.
All the 8,513 dealers of fertilisers and pesticides in Telangana, of which 7,878 are in the private sector and 635 are being run by co-operatives, have been directed to verify prescription slips before selling pesticides to farmers, reports the Times of India.
According to official statistics, a whopping 37 lakh hectare of the total 40 lakh hectare in under the influence of both chemical and bio pesticides. Of the 37 lakh hectare under pesticide usage, chemical pesticides are used in 31 lakh hectares and bio pesticides in the remaining land.
The agriculture land alone consumes 5000 metric tonnes of pesticides.
“While the highest consumption is for cereals (2,000 MTs), vegetables and fruits (1,000 MTs) are not too far behind. Farmers use 700 MTs a year for commercial crops such as cotton. The remaining pesticide is consumed on oilseeds, pulses,” a senior agriculture official said.
A recent report by union health ministry has revealed that 442 farmers and farm workers dies after inhaling toxic pesticides in the past three years. Over 94% of the deaths were from Punjab (233) and Maharashtra (183).
The other states to figure on the list were Rajasthan (20), Karnataka (3) and Tamil Nadu (3). However, agricultural experts said that the statistics could be under-reported and don’t reveal the exact number of deaths and hospital emergencies caused by pesticide handling.
Maharshtra continues the sale of monocrotophos pesticide, which was responsible for deaths of over 50 farmers and farm workers in the state in 2017.
The pesticide was banned in October for 60 days in five districts after the SIT formed to investigate the deaths found that monocrotophos — a IB category, extremely hazardous drug according to WHO, was being used with mixture of pesticide, fertilisers and plant growth regulators. But Maharashtra continued the sale citing a clause in insecticide rule that the states have no right to ban the sale of pesticides but can only control the licensing.
Kavitha Kuruganti, member of Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture, told Hindustan Times that the state and union ministries of agriculture have intentionally or unintentionally avoided multiple studies which refute the need of synthetic and hazardous pesticides for farming in India.
“Secondly there is no data collection of pesticide poisoning incidences, through oral ingestion or accidental inhalation which can offer insight on the kind of insecticides to be banned in the country. Moreover, the new insecticide act, to be tabled in monsoon session in the parliament, doesn’t influence the policies to prevent these hazardous pesticides being sold openly in market and advertised aggressively,” Kuruganti added.
