The Agriculture Department has begun a campaign against harmful pesticides, which were either banned or regulated, in the district. The State-wide programme will conclude on September 7.
Inspectors attached to the department would be tasked to carry out checks at marketing and distribution centres of pesticides. Stern action would be taken against those storing banned pesticides or keeping in their possession any pesticides without licence. Provisions of the Insecticides Act would be initiated against them. The Act aims at regulating the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of pesticides with a view to preventing risk to human beings or animals.
Measures would be adopted to check the smuggling of pesticides from other districts and neighbouring States. A district-level vigilance committee has been constituted for the purpose. Besides, a State-level vigilance squad would carry out surprise checks in the district as well.
For organic farmingOfficials said that complaints had risen against the overuse of pesticides in hilly regions and plantations in the district. Harmful pesticides were being imported by people in this business from other places. The Agriculture Department with the support of the district administration would act against them, they said.
As a rule, manufactures and distributors of pesticides should not directly sell pesticides to farmers and agriculture societies. Without the consent of the department, pesticides companies should not conduct any demonstration and farming experiments at agriculture lands, the officials said.
The objective of the campaign is to reduce the use of pesticides and thereby encourage farmers to adopt organic farming. This could be achieved with the support of the farmers, the public and voluntary agencies, they said.
