The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Agriculture Department to permit bio-product manufacturers and marketers to sell products if their bio-products passed scrutiny by a designated laboratory in the State.
Bio-products, which do not come under the ambit of the Insecticides Act, so far did not come under any regimen of registration, testing or lab certification.
Some manufactures were lacing the bio-products with chemical pesticides and fertilizers defeating the very purpose. Some others were using illegal pesticides too.
The Agriculture Department had banned the sale of such bio-products.
Clear directions
Commissioner of Agriculture K. Madhusudhana Rao in a memo to all Joint Directors said the High Court had issued very clear directions to the department to permit sale of bio-products only if the lab test result complied/corresponded with the claim of the manufacturer that it was as per the Control Order under Schedule-III of the Insecticides Act.
Bio-products are advocated because they are environmentally friendly and do not leave behind any toxic residues like their chemical counterparts.
Pesticides
Illegal pesticides are being sold in the garb of bio-products.
The court directed the bio-products manufactures to provide the Agriculture Department details of manufacturing process, five kg sample for the necessary tests.
The Department has been asked to complete the tests within eight weeks.
