A senior farm scientist who is also the immediate former Director of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) has written to the Union government requesting it to put on hold the draft order banning 27 pesticides in the country.
In his June 10 letter to the government, P. Chowdappa, who is also former president of Indian Phytopathological Society, Delhi, said that the government should initiate wider consultations with all stakeholders concerned before taking a final call on the ban.
“I request you to take a holistic view and put on hold the draft ban order at this challenging time (COVID-19), taking into consideration the best interest and welfare of Indian agriculture and farmers,” he said in the letter to Sanjay Aggarwal, Secretary, Union Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.
“...The emergence of pest outbreaks may cause a serious damage to the crops due to non-availability of efficacious broad spectrum pesticides listed in the proposed ban list. The process of review should be science-based and consultative...,” he said.
“...The five major reasons cited in the draft notification towards justification of the ban are that endocrine disruption properties, ban in other countries, availability of alternative chemicals, ecotoxicity or toxicity to honey bee/ aquatic organisms and additional data submission on bio-efficacy and toxicity. Whether this data is available for new generation pesticides, which are cost prohibitive?,” he said.
Mr. Chowdappa said if banning of a particular pesticide by certain countries based on some studies can be taken as a basis to ban it in India it required scientific data to substantiate the action. To contain locust damage, the pesticides listed in the proposed ban list are recommended, indicating their bio-efficacy and safety.
Mr. Chowdappa, who is also the former president of Association for Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems, Bengaluru, said that as agriculture is passing through difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed ban could increase farmers’ expenses two-three times. “...For example, the current cost of the generic product like mancozeb, broad spectrum multisite function fungicide, which is in the market since 1960, is as low as ₹260-₹300 per acre, compared to new-generation molecule Iprovalicarb and Propineb combinations costing ₹2,000 per acre. Furthermore, mancozeb is a component in many fungicide mixtures like fenamidone + mancozeb, metalaxyl + mancozeb and carbendazim + mancozeb. Alternatives are not readily available and new-generation agrochemicals are highly expensive, many are site specific and pathogen may become resistant. Farmers lose heavily unless substitute products are available at affordable prices...,” the letter said.
The low-cost, multisite function pesticides are expected to play a key role in increasing the average crop yields per hectare.
Mr. Chowdappa said that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge disruptions in the agricultural supply chain, coupled with labour shortage, and in the absence of properly planned alternatives, crop yield, food security and farmers’ livelihood in the country will be adversely impacted with this ban.
Agricultural scientists recommend the farmers to use good agricultural practices to reduce impact of pest and diseases while increasing productivity and reducing risks to human health and environment and only use pesticides as components in Integrated Pest Management practices. When chemical control cannot be avoided, a pesticide which has maximum efficacy against the pest and disease, and minimum toxicity for people, flora and fauna and is cost effective is recommended, he said.
The government had notified the ‘Draft order Banning of Insecticides Order 2020’ on May 14, 2020. Of the pesticides notified for the ban, eight are fungicides, 12 insecticides and seven are herbicides.
