Yavatmal: Thirty-nine-year-old Geeta Sonule, from Manoli village in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, while distraught at the death of her husband Bandu last month, is also angry at the administration. She says some “education or awareness” by the administration could have prevented her husband’s death.
On September 19, Bandu went to the neighboring Amdi village to spray pesticide on the farm of Shakar Rao Choudhari.
A farm labourer, with no landholding, Bandu was one of the few from his village, who would often be called for spraying pesticides on various crops.
On September 19, he was spraying pesticides on the genetically modified cotton plantation popularly known as “Bt Cotton”. “He came home in the evening and complained of irritation in his eyes. After some time, he was unable to see properly so we took him to a hospital in Ghatanji town. The doctors referred him to the Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College (VNGMC) in Yavatmal where he died on September 23,” said the 39-year Geeta, who now has to take care of her two teenage children’s upbringing and education.
‘What use aid?’
When asked if the ₹2 lakh aid announced by the Devendra Fadnavis government for those who died in the district after spraying pesticides will be enough, Geeta said, “I can beg and collect ₹2 lakh and give it to this government, but in return can they give me my husband back?”
It was Bandu Sonule’s death which caught everyone’s attention as local political activist Devandand Pawar’s “Shetkari Nyay Hakka Samiti” (Committee for justice to the farmers’ rights) began raising the issue.
Two days after his death, the administration sent a local agriculture officer to Manoli village, who circulated some pamphlets advising the farmers on the precautions to be taken while spraying toxic pesticides. According to Dr. Ashok Dhawad, Dean of VNGMC, “respiratory system failure due to organophosphorus” has killed 11 farmers and farm labourers in his hospital in the last five weeks. Almost all the deceased were spraying pesticide on the genetically modified cotton.
“This year the cotton plants’ height is more than six feet but its productivity has decreased drastically. We have no option but to give a large dose of pesticides to these plants because we want to recover at least the input cost. The increased height has surely affected the farmers and farm labourers as they have to spray above their heads and they eventually end up inhaling the toxic pesticides,” said Gunwant Lengure, sarpanch of Manoli.
But Ramesh Pachpore, a farmer from Rajurwadi village, counters this by saying, “The plant of some pulses like ‘tur’ are taller than six feet and we have been spraying pesticides on them for years now. But for the first time, pesticides have caused so many deaths in our area.”
Two farm labourers from Rajurwadi-Kailash Tekam (32) and Nitin Soyam (22)-suffered visual impairment after spraying pesticides on the cotton crop a month ago.
Another farmer from this region, Palakeshwar Maoili said usually shopkeepers at the Krishi Seva Kendra guided the farmers on which pesticides to be used on which crop. After the recent spate of deaths, farmers and farm labourers have almost stopped spraying in their cotton fields.
“Some farmers used helmets while spraying but stopped as the deaths and cases of infection caused by pesticide increased in the district. This year, the district witnessed less than normal rainfall. Now, I don’t think we will recover even the production cost of cotton this year,” added Mr. Maoili.
Another reason for the increased use of pesticides is the attack of bollworm and pink worm on the genetically modified cotton crop, which is supposed to be free from such pests.
The cotton growers in this district have been using various varieties of seeds and fertilisers produced by a company from Andhra Pradesh. This reporter found that most of the pesticide products had “instructions” written in extremely small fonts and mostly in English, making it difficult for the farmers to read.
“Some government people are saying that the improper use of pesticides caused this but how can you blame the farmers when the instructions are difficult to read. We can’t even pronounce the names of some products properly,” pointed out Mr. Lengure.
Ganpat Shende, who owns 12 acres of land, thinks that there should be a probe into how Bt cotton grew so tall and faced attacks from pests this year.
Bhavesh Gandecha, the owner of Jalaram Krishi Seva Kendra in Ghatanji town, thinks that the distributor and shop owners of fertilisers are being blamed “unfairly”.
“How can a shop owner wish for the death of his customer? The farmers give us our two times' meal. We can’t think ill of them,” Mr. Gandecha informed.
Mr. Gandecha also expressed apprehensions that the shopkeepers may be subjected to raids, notices, and harassment after the farmers’ deaths in the district.
“This year the district received less than normal rainfall. The farmers used the chemicals thinking of normal rainfall which is why the crop got more than sufficient dose of chemicals resulting in its increased height. The high density of the cotton crop and the unusually humid atmosphere this year made the farmers and farm labourers more vulnerable in coming into contact with the pesticides which why the illness and deaths are being reported,” Mr. Gandecha informed while pointing a finger towards a board in front of his shop which displays precautions to be taken while spraying the pesticides.
He also stated that the new battery operated spraying pumps released more quantity of chemicals than the old pumps but denied that he sold any banned product.
“No shop owner wants to lose his customers. But we can only guide them on how to use the products. We can't force them to take all the precautions. With the increase in the cotton crop’s height, we reduced the sale of cotton seeds but then the farmers insisted and forced us to sale it,” he added.
This crisis began in July this year; however, the administration was clueless about it until the spate of deaths began.
There has been no action against anyone in the district.
Yavatmal district collector Rajesh Deshmukh informed that 19 farmers have died in last few months and a process of inquiry and action was going on. When pressed for details the collector said that it will not be proper for him to talk in detail about it since the inquiry was going on.
Whereas, the head of the state government’s task force on farm distress Kishor Tiwari claimed that 20 farmers and farm labourers have died in the district in last few week and demanded action against the officials. Mr. Tiwari also informed that such cases are being reported from other districts of Vidarbha and Marathwada region as well.
The Maharashtra government sent its minister of the state of agriculture Sadabhau Khot to the district earlier this week who conceded that the administration did lack in its duty to “notice the issue and take actions to curb it”.
When Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandhurang Phundkar visited the district on Friday, some farmers led by the convener of the committee for justice to the farmers’ rights Devanand Pawar threw some cotton plants on his convoy protesting the “government’s apathy”
Mr. Pawar, who is spearheading various farmers' agitations in Yavatmal since last two years, thinks the government and the admiration's apathy to the issues of farmers' in this region, could spark massive farmers protest.
