Pesticides (Agricultural Inputs)

• 15-25% of the crop in India is lost to weeds, pests, diseases and rodents. 

Statistics of Pesticide Use in India

• Total pesticide consumption is the highest in Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. 
• On the other hand, per hectare consumption of pesticides is the highest in Punjab.
• Amongst the crops, paddy accounts for the maximum share of consumption (26-28%), followed by cotton (18-20%).

Even though per hectare pesticide is much lower in India (0.5 kg per ha) than other advanced economies like 7.0 kg per ha in the USA and 12 kg per ha in Japan. But there are some issues:- 

1. The quality of the spray is substandard.
2. Farmers use pesticides without following proper guidelines. 
3. Use of broad-spectrum pesticides, which kills beneficial insects and pollinators as well.
4. Residues of pesticides are found in fruits and veggies. It leads to a ban on their exports to first-world nations (especially the EU).
5. When a pesticide is sprayed on crops, most of it bounces off the leaves, falling on the ground. It then mixes with soil and water, contaminating both, and entering the food chain leading to biomagnification. 
6. 93 chemicals banned in most of the developed world are sold in India. 
7. Carcinogenic pesticides like Monsanto’s Glyphosate (brand-named ‘Roundup’) are still sold in India despite the proven fact that it can cause cancer.  
8. Pesticides like Endosulfan (used on Cashew Plantations in Kerala) have proven genotoxic.
9. Rising usage: Warmer climate and growing population are expected to increase the use of pesticides to combat the possible rise in pest invasions and feed more people. 
10. Pesticide poisoning: According to NCRB, in 2019, 6,962 deaths were reported out of 7,007 pesticide poisoning cases.
11. Opaque and out of date regulatory framework: Pesticide Management Bill (PMB) has been discussed since 2008. The cabinet approved the latest draft in February 2020.
12. The private sector monopoly: There is a private sector monopoly in pesticide trade whose decision is guided by the profit motive alone. 

1. Move towards Organic Farming.
2. Use narrow-spectrum pesticides.
3. Using biocontrol agents and biopesticides: It is a method of controlling pests such as insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases using other organisms. 
4. Adopt Integrated Pest Management approach, which encompasses a judicious mix of pest control methods like bio-pesticides, bio-control agents and pesticides. (Vietnam Case Study: In Vietnam, almost all the farmers of Mekong Delta adopted a policy of “no-spray for first 40 days”. They used predatory beetles that prey on rice pests.)
5. Government should pass the Pesticide Management Bill, 2017, which aims to replace the Insecticide Act of 1968 with larger penalties and jail time for selling substandard or fake pesticides. 

Note: India is a signatory to United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) led Stockholm Convention for persistent organic pollutants and Rotterdam convention for export-import of pesticides.