Experts call for wider consultations on the bill and for it to be placed before a select committee
By - science
academy
The Pesticides Management
Bill (PMB), 2020 — introduced in the Rajya Sabha on March 23, 2020 to
replace The Insecticides Act, 1968 — will have a far-reaching impact on
Indian agriculture and famers’ livelihood if it is passed in the current form,
experts said.
The Insecticides Act, 1968
currently governs the registration, manufacturing, export, sale and use of
pesticides in India. It will come up for discussion in the upcoming Monsoon
Session of Parliament that starts on September 14.
PMB, 2020 would not allow the
manufacture and export of pesticides not registered for use in India even if
these are approved in other countries.
Experts said PMB should allow
Indian entities to manufacture and export these pesticides, which would help
generate employment opportunities and earn foreign exchange.
PMB, 2020 does not reflect the
government’s repeated emphasis on the need for doubling farmer’s income by
2022, said Krishan Bir Singh Chaudhary, president, Bharat Krishak Samaj, a
farmers’ forum.
“The demands presented by the
Ashok Dalwai Committee, constituted in 2018 to promote domestic and indigenous
industries and agricultural exports from India, are missing from PMB, 2020. In
fact, the committee had recommended reduction in import and dependence on
imported formulations. The present PMB, however, will increase the import of
formulations and will damage the export of agro-chemicals,” he added.
Chaudhary said Emamectin Benzoate
used in cotton farming was initially imported and sold for Rs 10,000 per kg by
a multinational. “Subsequently, three years later, the same product was
manufactured by domestic companies, and sold at Rs 3,500 / kg. So if the
imported formulations are to be encouraged then how will a farmer survive,” he
said.
He was speaking at a press
briefing organised by Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) on the issue.
One of the provisions in the bill
gives powers to Registration Committee (RC) to subjectively review registration
of a pesticide and then suspend, cancel or even ban its usage.
“This would be done without any
scientific evaluation,” said Ajit Kumar, Chairman (Technical Committee), CCFI.
He called for an independent regulator to oversee the RC’s decisions.
“Such scenarios can disrupt
Indian farmers’ functioning and productivity. The well-being of India’s farmers
and its food security goal is inextricably linked with the timely use of crop
protection products,” he said.
He added that pesticides have
helped farmers safeguard their crops against a plethora of pest attacks, most
importantly during the recent locust swarm invasion across various parts of the
country.
“Had farmers not used pesticides
in time, their crops would have been devastated and their income jeopardised.
PMB 2020 needs to consider these issues and review certain provisions that will
impact the availability and accessibility of pesticides,” he said.
Both experts called for wider
consultations on the bill and for it to be placed before a select committee.
“This is imperative if India
seeks to be atmanirbhar (self-reliant) as a credible
manufacturer and supplier of pesticides to the world while promoting food
security objectives and generating employment opportunities for its people,”
said Kumar.
Talking about
another provision in the bill that provides for re-registration of pesticides
already registered under the erstwhile 1968 Act, Kumar says that it will bring
instability in the pesticides industry.
He added:
“PMB
mandates that such registrations will only be valid for two years after the
bill comes into force. During this time, the manufacturer needs to apply and
obtain fresh registration from the RC, only then can they manufacture and sell
the product beyond two years. This provision will introduce instability in the
pesticides industry and also impact Indian agriculture badly as several
products required by farmers may not be available because the RC may have
failed in or denied the granting of registrations in time.”
He added that the Bill should
provide for each registration granted under the 1968 Act to be deemed approved
under PMB without the limited two-year timeframe.
