Maneka slams use of pesticides, GM crops

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 1

Coming down heavily on the use of chemical pesticides and genetically modified (GM) crops, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi urged farmers and agriculturalists to fight the “negative developments” such as synthetic agrochemicals and GM crops posing serious threat to health, environment and farming.

Addressing delegates and farmers at the ongoing 5th National Organic Farming Convention, Maneka said: “The owners of Bt cotton, the only genetically modified crop grown commercially in India, had claimed that it doesn’t require pesticides, but now we find that it cannot be grown without the most dangerous pesticide in use in the world.”

She said neonicotinoid pesticides, which are used for seed treatment in maize and cotton (including Bt cotton) among other crops, had been mired in controversy globally due to their deleterious impact on the population of pollinators like bees.

Pointing out that many countries, including the European Union, have banned neonicotinoids or placed restrictions on its use, Maneka said Indian farmers had reason for suing the government over the introduction of such items on the same lines as US bee-keepers sued their government for $10 million.

Dr GV Ramanjaneyulu, an agriculture scientist attending the convention, said: “Unfortunately in India, the government is not accepting readily available field data and experience on this dangerous pesticide. They did the same with Endosulfan, an organochlorine insecticide, earlier till the courts intervened to ban it.”

In the 2015-16 Budget, the Central Government has allocated Rs 300 crore for organic farming, which participants at the convention said was too less, though it did signal a start. “Organic farming is need of the hour but ministers’ public statements are not matching the budgetary allocations and well-laid programmes,” said Rajesh Krishnan from Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture.

Earlier at a session on environmental health, Punjab Health Minister Surjit Jyani talked about the link of increasing incidences of various diseases and farming practices. Pointing out that farmers have become dependent on chemicals due to government subsidy, he said the use of chemicals had led to a decline in the population of natural pest controllers like sparrows, which led to further promotion of chemical-intensive methods.