Days ahead of a crucial Supreme Court (SC) hearing, the central government has banned the use of four pesticides from the initial list of 27. This list includes the controversial monocrotophos, but with conditions.
With regard to monocrotophos, activists and observers have highlighted that the recent directive provides a transitional period of one year for farmers to adopt the alternative. The order also said that “sale, distribution or use of Monocrotophos 36 per cent SL will be permitted only for clearance till the expiry period of the existing stock.”
The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) expressed concern over the ambiguity of this phrase. They fear that this could be exploited to accumulate stocks during this one-year period, allowing long-term use of monocrotophos until these stocks are depleted. PAN stressed the need for a specific directive that prohibits the manufacture of all monocrotophos formulations.
Along with monocrotophos, the three pesticides that have been banned are dicofol, dinocap and methomyl, by the government through a gazette notification dated September 29, 2023, but published on October 6, 2023.
However, the mention of carbofuran, one of the original 27 banned pesticides, in the recent notice has left activists perplexed. “All other formulations of Carbofuran except Carbofuran 3 per cent Encapsulated Granules (CG) with specified crop labels should be discontinued,” a PAN statement clarified. This means that Carbofuran Three Percent Encapsulated Granules (CG) is unrestricted. It is noteworthy that this carbofuran 3 percent CG formulation is the only one registered in India.
PAN India has urged the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) to provide clarity on the matter.
Focusing on monocrotophos, PAN noted its association with several pesticide poisoning incidents in India, the most notorious being the Yavatmal pesticide poisoning incident in 2017.
Maharashtra Association of Pesticide Poisoned Persons (MAPPP) has been consistently advocating for a ban on this and other harmful pesticides linked to deaths and injuries among farmers and agricultural workers. In fact, the Government of Maharashtra has written a letter to the Government of India to ban this and four other pesticides.
The issue stems from a May 2020 government order that banned 27 hazardous pesticides considered a threat to public health and safety. These pesticides, part of the controversial 66 under investigation for toxicity for several years, include 12 insecticides, eight fungicides and seven herbicides, totaling about 130 formulations.
Reportedly, the government allowed a period for the industry to express its objections. Subsequently, at the behest of key industry players, a committee was set up under the leadership of TP Rajendran, former assistant director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The panel reportedly suggested retaining the ban on only three of the 27 pesticides, while advocating release of the others.
However, some activists who petitioned the Supreme Court argued that the formation and existence of such a committee is unverified in the public domain, while others insist on its establishment and the availability of its report.
Subsequently, the government revisited the original ban in February 2023 and retained the ban on only three pesticides. Civil society groups approached the Supreme Court questioning the amended order.