Despite restrictions on the sale and usage of glyphosate, an herbicide, the clandestine stocking and sale of the weed-killer continues unabated in several mandals of the district.
The illegal stocking of glyphosate has come under the scanner after the task force of the district police unearthed a huge quantity of glyphosate stocks from ‘unauthorised premises’ in separate raids in Bonakal, Tirumalayapalem and Konijerla mandals in recent weeks.
In the first week of July, a task force team raided a godown in Ravinuthala village of Bonakal mandal and confiscated 930 litres of illegally stocked glyphosate.
The joint raids by the task force police and the personnel of the Agriculture Department unearthed illegally stored stocks of glyphosate at Beerolu and Singarayapalem in Tirumalayapalem and Konijerla mandals respectively, a couple of days ago.
Sources said that some errant traders stocked glyphosate in huge quantities in unauthorised premises for sale among farmers, mainly cotton growers, in violation of the severe restrictions on the usage of this particular herbicide due to its alleged harmful effects on health and environment.
A strict vigil is being maintained to check clandestine stocking and sale of glyphosate in the current crop season, said Joint Director of Agriculture in Khammam district Vijaya Nirmala.
When contacted, she told The Hindu that the joint raids by the task force and agriculture department staff resulted in seizure of 1,112 litres of glyphosate stocked in unauthorised premises at separate villages in three mandals recently.
Cases were registered under the relevant sections of the Insecticides Act 1968, and further investigations are underway.
