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India has to bear crop loss of Rs 1,40,000 crore worth on an annual basis owing to pests and diseases.
The reports of the Agrochemicals Policy Group (APG), which is based in New Delhi, suggest that counterfeit or low standard pesticides worth Rs 1,400 crore were marketed in India in the year 2009, in comparison to Rs 1,200 crore in the year 2008.
The ratio for the use of pesticide in terms of cost-benefit has been assumed to be of 1:5 and from this the damage to crops and farmers can be estimated to be around Rs 7,000 crore in 2009.
Counterfeit pesticides contain low contents, which are ineffective in killing pests and also cause harm to the crops. Poor and marginal farmers inadvertently get lured to such weak quality products and as a result face loss for low or no yields. Awareness has been spread among the people by a large group of farmers who attempted suicide after losing massive amount of crops due to using expensive but poor quality pesticides. A spokesperson of APG, S Kumarasamy said the perpetrators have not been penalized yet.
Kumarasamy told “What is astonishing is that the authorities have not taken due notice of this and have allowed this nefarious business to thrive and expand. The spurious pesticides have a multiplier affect on crop losses”.
The farmers have to face investment loss as well for buying costly but ineffective chemicals for plant protection. According to APG, a large number of farmers, who committed suicide in Maharashtra, had been the victim of this only.
As most of the spurious pesticide manufacturing units are located in western Maharashtra, western Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and coastal Andhra Pradesh, there must not be much of a problem in closing them. However, the law enforcement agencies and state administrations need to cooperate in this regard. APG also said that Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand have also started manufacturing such insecticides.
The producers of spurious insecticides are copying the labels of the reputed pesticides. This practice is harmful not only for the farmers but also for the genuine manufacturers.
It is owing to this, APG has requested the government to make manufacturing and sales of pesticide subject to a ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’ code. This would include existing law and severe penalty for the culprits.
Study reveals that India’s pesticides market in the world account for only 3% in the yearly sales of $1 billion (Rs 4,600 crore). Only 20% of the land is properly protected. According to APG, India faces crop loss of worth Rs 140,000 crore on a yearly basis owing to pests, weeds and diseases.
Business Standard
January 22, 2010
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