Pesticide ban

Subject: Environment

Context:

Punjab government has banned the usage of nine pesticides, generally used for Basmati and non Basmati crops, for 60 days

Concept:

• The nine pesticide that have been banned temporarily include Acephate, Carbendazim, Thiamethoxam, Triazofos, Tricyclazole, Buprofezin, Carbofuron, Propiconazole, and Thiophanate Methyl.
• Farmers use these pesticides even after the grain formation stage in the rice crop. It leads to the presence of pesticides beyond the permissible maximum residue limit (MRL) on the grains after harvesting of the crop.
• The European Union has fixed the MRL for all these agro-chemicals at 0.01 mg per kg except for Triazophos for which the MRL is 0.02 mg.
• The harvesting of early varieties of Basmati and non-Basmati crops starts in late September and early October, respectively. If farmers do not stop spraying these pesticides at least 40-50 days before the harvesting, a MRL cannot be ruled out.
• Also, the 60-day ban has been ordered with the main focus on Basmati varieties, which is mainly grown for export.
• Government does not want to annoy big exporters who face rejection of the consignments by the European Union (EU), the USA, and the Middle East. The EU had earlier rejected Indian Basmati due to the presence of MRL beyond the specified limit.