Task Force Demands to Ban Killer Pesticide in Maharashtra

Task Force Demands to Ban Killer  Pesticide in Maharashtra 

Dated- 8th  MAY 2018

Kishor Tiwari, Chief of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission ,farm task force specially constituted to tackle on going agrarian crisis  has demanded that the State Government's proposal of banning poisonous insecticides should be accepted immediately by the Central Govt. 

In November 2017,Pesticide poisoning has reported  death of more than 60 farmers in Maharashtra, the proposal to ban killer  pesticides has been sent by state following High Court's directives but Tiwari has also expressed fear that the proposal submitted by state , can be shown the dustbin by Union Agriculture Minister.

it is long pending demand that  pesticides that had been banned or restricted in other countries should be banned in India too and recently The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to take a decision on banning 18 pesticides within the next two months. Most of these have been banned in other parts of the world because of their health and ecological impacts, Tiwari added.

Tiwari recalled  committee headed by Anupam Verma, a retired professor from Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) was constituted by the Agriculture Ministry in August 2013 to review only 66 such pesticides. The Committee had recommended in 2015 that 12 pesticides be banned and 6 more phased out. The agriculture ministry had subsequently issued a draft notification in December 2016 on banning the pesticides recommended by the Anupam Verma committee. But after receiving comments and suggestions to the draft notification, the ministry constituted another committee headed by J S Sandhu of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to look in to the suggestions and form an opinion on banning these pesticides. The petitioners however had informed SC that the government should consider banning 99 pesticides that were considered toxic globally hence by now use of pesticides, which took life of over 60 farmers and caused serious health problems to more than 2,000 farmers  must be banned totally  However, the multinational companies marketing these pesticides may influence the Union Government and prevent total ban on them, tiwari said

It is also reported that there is scientific evidence on health impacts of pesticides, on the link between pesticide use and depression and suicidal tendencies . He also raised concerns with use of herbicides like glyphosate which have not been reviewed by the Anupam Verma Committee and questioned the failure of Centre and state governments in regulating the use of pesticides and herbicides .

Tiwari has stated that the government should have taken the decision at the earliest to prevent further loss of life of farmers. Through these pesticides birds and insects are affected. With the use of these pesticides the poisonous food grains are being supplied to the consumers.

These pesticides have already been banned by a large number of countries. However, in India they are being used without any control.In 2015-16 the highly poisonous pesticides (Grade-I) was  used up to 30%, which resulted in several health problems.

Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission followed the issue and exposed the political leaders and agents of the companies. The persistent efforts of Mission also helped in the companies putting blame on farmers for their deaths. Tiwari added that  in the name of green revolution,supplying poisonous food grains to the citizens should be prevented and the monopoly of  multinational companies should be prevented from controlling the agricultural economy of the nation should put end . He has also appealed to the farmers to take the path of organic farming like in Sikkim

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