Bitter dose for pesticide dealers, licence only for science graduates

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 11

The state government has banned issuing new licences to aspiring dealers of insecticides and pesticides who do not possess a graduation degree in science subjects.

The move will have a significant impact as hardly anyone among the 12,000 existing dealers holds a degree in science.

The decision was taken recently after the Centre issued a notification in November stating that any individual who wants to run a insecticide/pesticide shop should possess a degree either in agricultural sciences, biochemistry, biotechnology, life sciences or B.Sc chemistry, botany or zoology.

The state governments have been given two years to implement the rule. The Centre has also given an option that the existing dealers should either graduate themselves in these streams or hire a graduate to run their shops.

The state government, while renewing the licences of existing dealers, has also begun taking an undertaking from licence holders that they would hire a professional to run their establishments.

The new rule, however, gives some relaxation to fertiliser dealers as they can continue to run their shops by obtaining a six-month diploma in fertiliser management.

“As per the ongoing practice, the dealers convince farmers to buy insecticides and fertilisers of their own choice. The government is of the opinion that if science graduates run these shops, the sale will be on scientific basis. We have implemented this new rule from the first week of January,” said Dr Gurdial Singh, Director, Agriculture.

Officials said according to the notification, even if a private dealer hired a professional graduate, the licence would be issued not to the dealer, but to the hired professional.

The dealers have criticised the rule. “If we decide to do a degree in these branches, it is not possible to accomplish the task as the government has given only two years’ time. How can a small-time dealer afford to hire a professional to run his shop? This scheme is not practically viable,” said Gagandeep Singh, a Sangrur-based dealer.