Want to be fried?
Sunita Narain,
(The writer is Director, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi)
I first learnt about SLAPP when we released a study about pesticides in colas.
PepsiCo had filed a defamation case against us in the Delhi High Court and our lawyer, fresh out of law school in Bangalore, jumped as he read through the company's petition saying this was a classic SLAPP case. We were bemused, knowing nothing about such legal intricacies. SLAPP, he explained, was an acronym in the US for 'strategic lawsuits against public participation'. These are libel or defamation cases filed by corporations against individuals and institutions, supposedly to defend their honour and business. The intention was to use the legal system to threaten, intimidate and silence.
But how, we asked. The companies who file SLAPP cases rarely win in court, but achieve their real objective to discourage others from speaking out. The defendants, who are invariably individuals, spend huge amount of time and money running to courts fighting the case. This harassment discourages others from petitioning government on public issues. An environmental activist in West Virginia was sued for US $200,000 for criticising a coal-mining company for polluting the local river. Cattle-ranchers filed a million dollar case against television celebrity Oprah Winfrey for hosting a show on mad cow disease and discussing dangers of eating contaminated beef. The list runs in thousands.
The most (in)famous of these cases was filed by junk food giant McDonald against two activists in Britain, who had in 1990 distributed a six-page leaflet on 'what was wrong with McDonald's'. The company accused them of defaming it because they had said that it contributes to cardiac diseases, cancer and diabetes. The company won the case in 1997 and it has become a precedent for corporate libel cases, commonly known as McLibel. Such cases particularly target individuals and media organisations so that the messenger is shot, along with the message.
But why should we be interested? The fact is that we are catching up with the world. Just in case you have missed this buzz, let me bring you to date.
YS Mohana Kumar is a doctor practicing in a nondescript village called Padre in Kerala. Unknown, till he noticed that people in his village were more diseased and deformed than most and started asking questions. One thing led to another and researchers - from different institutions - confirmed and reconfirmed the presence of residues of endosulfan, a pesticide, in blood, soil and water samples from the village. In 2003, Mohana Kumar received a legal notice from the lawyers of the Pesticide Association of India threatening legal action if he did not apologise and withdraw his statements immediately. His crime? Writing a letter in this magazine on these findings against the government-appointed OP Dubey committee, which had absolved the pesticide of the deadly ailments of people in Padre.
For the record, Down To Earth followed up investigations against the Dubey committee and found to its horror evidence of how data was fudged; how scientists were coerced and how industry influenced the findings of the committee. The committee's proceedings were challenged and investigations reopened by the government. Mohana Kumar was right but that clearly was not the point.
Madhumita Dutta is not a doctor, but an environmental activist who recently received legal summons to appear before a court in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh. Her crime is that she researched and published, with others, an investigation on acute pesticide poisoning in the district. The case filed by the pesticide industry association Crop Care Federation even implicates the designer of the publication and is aimed at harassing and warning others to desist or be destroyed.
Umendra Dutt runs an NGO in Punjab called Kheti Virasat Mission, which works on various farmer-related issues, including pesticide use. He has been sued for Rs 5 crore by United Phosphorous Limited, a leading pesticide manufacturer. His crime: discussing in public, health studies on pesticide exposure and how it could act as a trigger to diseases, and even lead to congenital malformations and genetic disorders. All clearly well-established in scientific studies across the world.
But it does not stop there. The company has also filed a case against the media giant, Bennett and Coleman, the publishers of the Times of India. Their crime is similar: publishing a report quoting Dutt in their daily newspaper, Mumbai Mirror.
The defamation case has been filed by the company alleging that the statements in the article will 'disparage our client's reputation' in the trade across the world. This is particularly intriguing, because the article does not mention the company at all, only pesticides and their health impacts.
But how do I know this? Because two weeks ago, my colleague Chandra Bhushan, received a letter from an NGO called the Centre for Environment and Agrochemicals, which enclosed a copy of this legal notice. The letter told him that if he was to attend a forthcoming meeting being organised by Kheti Virasat Mission he "will be made a party (to the case against Kheti Virasat) and unnecessarily dragged into litigation". In simple language a simple threat: we will sue you if you dare to attend.
It does not stop there. We called to check more about the NGO and received another letter. The letterhead was the same, but the signatory had changed. Now Rajju Shroff, the owner of United Phosphorous Limited wrote, saying, "The industry has decided to take legal actions and expose all your activities." I am sure we will hear from them again.
In these modern David-and-Goliath tales, I can only hope (and pray) that there are many, many more Davids.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
KVM representation to Director PGIMER on Pesticides and Health
August 31, 2005
To,
Dr.K.K.TalwarDirector – PGIMER
and
Chairman,Expert Group on Health impacts of Pesticides,Chandigarh
Subject: Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab – SlowPoisoning of Punjab through Pesticides – Immediate and Long-termEnvironmental and Health remediation needed – Restoration of Eco-Agriculture only way out
Respected Sir,
Through this submission we (scientists, doctors and members of thecivil society groups working in the field of public health,environmental health, sustainable agriculture and ecology) wish tosubmit our views on the serious environmental health crisis that isbeing reported from the villages of Punjab, in particular regardingthe high incidences of cancer cases and deaths and the traces ofpesticides detected in blood samples in Malwa region.
BACKGROUND:
Reports of high incidence of cancer and other illnesses that couldbe linked to pesticides are emerging from the cotton belt of Malwaon a regular basis in recent times. The experience of such adversehealth impacts by members of the farming community cannot be denied –this is evident both from hospital records in the region as well asfrom informal discussions with people in the villages here. Civilsociety groups and media have been regularly reporting these figuresand experiences to the larger public. Just one private hospital inMuktsar has records to show that 1400 cases of cancers haveconsulted the hospital in just the last year!It is also well-established that cancers and pesticides are linkedand that certain types of cancer are related to pesticides more thanother factors. The higher incidence of pesticides-related cancers[within various types of cancers] in the Malwa belt cannot be deniedeither.Pesticides, many of which are endocrine disruptors, teratogens,mutagens, cholinesterase inhibitors and so on, are known to cause avariety of other human health impacts too. A study by GreenpeaceIndia and Kheti Virasat Mission in 2003 showed that thedevelopmental abilities of children in high-pesticide consumingareas like Bathinda are significantly lower than children in lowpesticide-consuming areas, pointing out that the next generation ofthe farming community in the state is also being put at risk withpesticides.
SLOW POISONING OF PUNJAB:
The use of pesticides, many of them in high volume, of very toxicclasses of pesticides and banned long ago in other countries, hasover the years come to stop killing the pests (due to development ofresistance in pests) and has started killing human beings and otherbeneficial fauna instead. In such a situation, farmers are beingbranded as negligent, erratic and ignorant. Farmers have startedmisusing and overusing many pesticides as resistant pests need morepesticides to kill, for which they are not to be blamed. The packageof practices which the PAU recommends have not only become archaicbut completely violated - the scientists and the extension wings ofthe PAU and the department of agriculture stand helpless as more andmore pesticides keep appearing in our vegetables, fruits, soil,water and human blood and tissues.Punjab has always been a state that showed the way forward for thecountry in the field of agriculture. Our people are supposed to bethe healthiest in the nation. But today Punjab is a mauled figure.Its people are getting less and less healthy. Its farmers aregetting more and more depressed, indebted and disillusioned withagriculture. Our farming – natural and organic as it used to behalf a century back - is now fully chemical and pesticide (poison)driven. More than 50% of our cost of cultivation in most crops goesfor chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Today Punjab, just onesmall state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of totalgeographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India,consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in thecountry. We believe this is a shame and speaks very badly of ouragriculture research and extension work as well as our farmingcommunity – that so much of poisons should be used to produce ourfood and crops. It's a shame especially in a new brave world wheremore and more countries, farmers and consumers are moving theorganic way and becoming conscious of the safety of the food theyeat and the water they drink. Punjab still continues to consume somuch of poisons in the name of an old and now derelict method ofcrop protection – by using pesticides. We hope the Expert Committeethat the government has set up recognizes this concern.We must end this vicious cycle of agro-chemicals with sustainable,sensible, safer methods of crop production. Organic Farming, No-Pesticide management (NPM), IPM etc, especially in Cotton, haveproven to be feasible and viable as farmers in other states aredemonstrating.
CONNECTION BETWEEN PESTICIDES AND THE MALWA HEALTH CRISIS
Studies done by the PPCB-PGIMER have concluded that pesticides usedand detected in the Malwa region could be one of the main reasonsfor the high incidence of cancer in the region. We are glad thatthis study initiated on the personal interest of the Chief MinisterCapt. Amarinder Singh, about two years back, has been able toidentify the main causes of this environmental health crisis amongthe people of Punjab.But with pain we wish to bring to your attention theirresponsibility on the part of some of the officers of the healthdepartment who are undoing the results of the PPCB-PGIMER study,without any scientific basis or understanding of toxicology and theeffects of pesticides on ecology and human health.It has come to public notice that the state health department alongwith some of the scientists of the PAU is negating this scientificand first ever large environmental epidemiological study done inPunjab by PGIMER with the support of the PPCB.Sir, what has been happening in the last few weeks can only betermed as Environmental Offence. It is already a shock thatPesticides have been detected in human blood and that the prevalenceand incidence of cancer in rural Punjab is increasing alarmingly.While public concern on this issue is wide and deep, we are equallyshocked to see that there is a concerted effort from many officersin the above-said departments to spread misinformation and dilutethe issue, thereby not only killing the seriousness of the matter,but abetting further continuance of the mistake of using more andmore pesticides in the fields. This official apathy to recognise thetruth in this matter is an act against the interests of Punjab andits people. The PPCB-PGIMER study was a scientifically planned andexecuted cancer-prevalence epidemiological study in selected highpesticide-exposure geographic areas of Punjab and this study is aclear indicator of the grave situation Punjab has fallen into.
DH&FW'S MISLEADING, UNSCIENTIFIC AND IRRESPONSIBLE APPROACH:
The study released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare[DH&FW] can in no way be called a study and is only a collation ofdata, irresponsibly collected with no specific objective. This wasdone on the basis of unscientific sample size, sample selection,methodology, data validation and statistical analysis. This raisesdoubts about the vested interests that our health department seemsto want to serve.Trying to extrapolate the results of such an ill planned study tothe whole state of Punjab and that too to compare it with anexhaustive epidemiological geographically localized study is, to saythe least, a perverse attempt to discredit one of the nation'spremier medical research institutions – the PGIMER, Chandigarh.It seems that the Department of Health Services is deliberatelytrying to create confusion about PPCB-PGIMER study by saying thatits sample size is not adequate (Population of 1,83,243 wassurveyed).Ironically, the same health department was part of whole processduring PGIMER study. Since PPCB-PGIMER study was reviewedperiodically by a expert group which include DHS also besides othereminent scientists. This study was accepted by this group beforebeing made public. Even a representative of DHS had singed thereport on the behalf of DHS .Hence it is a consensus documentbinding on all including state health department. But, suddenlyhealth department had taken a complete U – turn.. Now the healthdepartment saying that sample size of PPCB-PGIMER study by is notadequate (incidentally, nearly one lakh people were surveyed). Theyhave even gone to the extent of questioning the findings ofIndustrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow (a CSIR institute,which is the nodal centre for the UNEP sponsored Regionally-BasedAssessment of Persistent Toxic Substances and also the nodal centrefor the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention onPersistent Organic Pollutants) and the Quality Control Laboratoryfor Processed Food, Department of Post Harvest Technology, PAUwhich had done laboratory tests on behalf of PGIMER.The Centre for Science and Environment [CSE, New Delhi] foundpesticides in the blood of our fellow Punjabis. The CSE has done aservice to the general public of Punjab by drawing attention to thisvery important and urgent issue. Studies carried out in variousparts of the world by reputed research organisations have founddangerous levels of pesticides in the human body that can manifestas diseases at some later stage. But it is for the first time that aresearch organisation has come out with such startling data on thePunjabis. It was the duty of state health department to take noticeof issues like this whereas in Punjab the entire debate onenvironmental health crisis was initiated and regularly pursued bythe civil society groups. Unfortunately, instead of responding tothe crisis with initiation of mitigation measures, as is the mandateof the health department, and instead of encouraging and involvingthese civil groups in the process, the department seems to be keenon discounting all the evidences emerging and the efforts by civilsociety by discrediting them and branding their initiativesas 'false hue and cry' and 'unwanted panic'.Interestingly, many questions remain about the health department'srecent study on pesticides. The department did not find anypesticides in 235 blood samples taken from 12 districts and testedin the State Forensic Laboratory. One wonders whether the StateForensic Laboratory actually looked for pesticides; if so, whatmethodology was used, what equipments, what validation methods andwhat were the results and the graphs. Moreover, using such a studyto invalidate the PPCB-PGIMER study is itself ridiculous, as theobjectives and methods of the two studies were quite different.Another serious matter of concern is the statement made by the In-Charge of Patiala Laboratory about pesticide residues in human body.Dr. D. C. Sharma believes that pesticides get metabolised in thebody and are passed out in urine or excreta. He is of the view thateither pesticides get metabolised or a person will die of exposure.This is a very simplistic, ill-informed understanding ofpesticides. Each class of pesticides and each pesticide has a verydifferent toxicological profile and impacts on various media aredifferent. Hence, such a simplistic understanding of toxicology,especially from a responsible officer in charge of a public healthlab is dangerous for the good of the state.Several experts including senior toxicologist Dr. Prahlad K. Seth,Former Director, ITRC, Lucknow clearly says that it is just notpossible that chlorine (contained in many of the Organochlorinepesticides) doesn't leave behind any traces.Dr Sharma of the Patiala Lab has naively asked how the residue foundby PGIMER had pesticides which were banned in India two decadesback. This shows his ignorance about the Persistent OrganicPollutants or POPs.The `pesticides in blood' issue came into light with the CSEDirector Ms. Sunita Narayan releasing their study to the media on7th June, 2005 at Chandigarh. The Punjab Government swung intoaction only after that, ordered an enquiry and constituted a HighPowered Committee to look into this issue. With appreciablepromptness, on 25th July 2005, in a meeting of the expert group heldat PGIMER Chandigarh, the health department declared – "NO PESTICIDEFOUND IN BLOOD"! In just 40 days, they got 235 blood samples testedfor at least four groups of pesticides. This is simply impossible –both the process of testing and the results are not believable.Tests of breast milk even in an urban setting like New Delhi haverevealed pesticides in it and here our health department has notfound anything in as much as 235 samples in a study in as short atime !!It is important to know that within five days of the CSE report theofficials of the Patiala Laboratory had gone to the pressclaiming "No Pesticides in human blood, urine and vegetables". CSEstudy was released on 7 th June 2005 and on 12th June, the ChiefChemical Examiner had made a claim based on his findings in 2500cases of viscera examination. According to media reports, a clinicalstudy was conducted at State Chemical Laboratory, Patiala on thepossibility of insecticides used over crops and no poison has beendetected in the substance of any eatable or vegetable tested. Theyalso add that samples of blood and urine of human beings obtainedfrom different sources such as blood banks, clinical laboratoriesand volunteers have also been tested for traces of insecticides andpesticides. None of these samples have tested positive for anypoison. This statement was also reported in The Tribune dated June13, 2005.Incidentally Chairman of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group Mr SalilSinghal had also addressed the press conference refuting CSEfindings and on June12 and on the very same day the pressstatement was released by State Chemical Examiner from Chandigarh.What a interesting co-incidence !!It was demeaning to see how they contradicted the CSE study withoutany basis, and that too within five days. All they wanted to say isthat "The situation is not alarming". Interestingly two thingsmatter much here:a) The conclusions of Patiala laboratory and the logic of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group are so very similar.b) The haste with which they wanted to hush up the matter waslike silencing a crime.Many questions raised below remain unanswered:a) The Patiala Laboratory study was done very secretively. Whyhave they not revealed the study methodology and results even in theexpert group meeting held at PGI Chandigarh on 25th July? Why do notsuch studies have a proper report or a document? Who are theinvestigators and who are the experts who reviewed this study?b) Why are the conclusions given by Director-Family Welfare(DFW) very much similar with the arguments given by the Chairman ofAgro-Chemical Promotion Group? (Both are of the viewthat `pesticide residues' is not an issue in Punjab). The DFW hadgone to the extent of claiming that state level average of Cancerincidences of Punjab is very much lower than the national average –however, he has not made the source of his data clear. They saidthat prevalence of cancer is 120/lakh population in Punjab and this,they claim, is comparable to national prevalence. As the issue ofhigh cancer prevalence in Punjab is related to rural areas ofBathinda and Giddarbaha, we have to compare it with rural areasmentioned in National Cancer Registry Program of ICMR. The datastates that the incidence rate for male and female populations is46/lakh and 57/lakh population respectively in rural areas for India!c) The Department, according to their statements, had coveredfour districts – Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot and Muktsar comprising ofnearly 1000 habitats and villages beside towns in just three days!!It is not clear what methodology was adopted for this survey. If thehealth department compiled this information from its paramedicalstaff then they should have visited each and every house. If door-to-door survey was conducted then the health staff would have visitednearly three lakh households and would have filled up as many surveyforms. Is this possible in three days? Or did they adopt any othermethodology to do such an exhaustive exercise? Every epidemiologicalstudy has a requisite protocol to be followed and a scientificmethodology to be adopted. What systems were followed in the study?What was the study design? What was the implementation mechanism?What was the time frame? Who was the Principal Investigator?d) Does the Patiala Laboratory have more expertise than ITRC?From where did they collect their samples? Did they take samplesfrom farmers, their families and farm workers or others who had longterm occupational exposure? What tests were carried out and whatwas the protocol followed? What instruments and equipments wereused? Do they have Gas Chromatograph (GC) or GLC with electroncapture detector for organochlorine, nitrogen, phosphorous detectorfor Organ phosphorous? Do they have an accredited lab for pesticideresidual analysis? Our information tells us that the ChemicalExaminer does not have a GC and they are working with a lesssensitive technique of THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY. To detectpesticides in blood a scientific residual analysis is required andfor that we have to detect pesticide traces to the extent of PPM orPPB. It is very doubtful whether the Patiala laboratory is capableof undertaking this exercise.Interestingly, these questions were asked in many a platform and theDirector Health & Family Welfare did not have any answer to thesequestions because of a simple reason – there were no proper surveysundertaken. The Health & Family Welfare department may swear by theauthenticity of the survey and data produced but the circumstantialevidence clearly indicates that a scientific fraud has beencommitted.According to news that appeared in Times of India Chandigarh editionon July 20 with dateline from Bathinda and Faridkot, the healthworkers had gone to the villages and announcements from loudspeakersin village gurudwaras were made to get the name of cancer patientsregistered at the health center in the village. In a large number ofvillages there was no announcement and hence no collection of data.The situation seemed to be more fudged up in urban areas - a largenumber of cancer patients in towns still have no knowledge about anysurvey.In Faridkot, most of the medical officers were asked on July 5thevening to submit the report of cancer patients in their respectiveareas by 12 noon on July 6. So, in some villages the auxiliary andparamedical staff members made the effort to reach gurudwaras forthe said announcements and in many other villages, the survey reportwas filled as per the whims and fancies of staff members.We request, for the sake of protection of public health, that athorough investigation be done to unveil the truth behind thisresponse from the Health Department, including an investigation intothe fraudulent way in which they went about manufacturing the studyreport. If it is true that the health department had indeed donesuch a thing, they should be made liable for committing a scientificfraud with intent to cause public harm and criminal prosecutionmeasures be taken against the officers responsible.We would also like to remind you that about three years ago, it wasthe same department which set aside the cancer prevalence findingsat that time. It was the same system through which the departmentfound nothing alarming even after high number of cancer cases werereported in villages like Jajjhal and Guiana even after it wasinstructed to take up a survey by the Hon'ble Chief Ministerhimself. The same arguments were given then but due to the vigilantrole of media and environmental groups and persistent follow-up ofthe Chief Minister, a study was sponsored by the Punjab PollutionControl Board.
PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS OR POPs:Though banned about two decades in many countries and banned andrestricted in India too later, many of the POPs are found in bloodsamples even today, all over the world. According to PGIMER study,the blood samples that they studied contain the residues of POPslike Heptachlor, DDT, Aldrin and other extremely toxic pesticideslike Chlorpyriphos, Ethion and Endosulfan. The Centre for Science &Environment (CSE) also found six to thirteen pesticides in virtuallyall blood samples. Some of them were POPs as: HCH, Aldrin and DDT.They also found Monocrotophos, Endosulfan, Phosphamidon,Chlorpyrifos and Malathion, all of which are used in high volumes inPunjab.POPs are banned in a majority of countries in the world. They are tobe eliminated from use all over the world through the StockholmConvention (2002), of which India is also a signatory. POPs areknown Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity,immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, andcongenital malformations. Even motherhood is challenged by POPsthrough foetotoxicity. Many of the POPs are also classified ascarcinogens, mutagens and even teratogens.POPs don't degrade for decades and cause toxicity for a very a longtime. Most of these POPs have a half-life period of 10 years andmore. The scientists and officials of the department of health andfamily welfare and the Patiala laboratory are either unaware orneglecting the knowledge available on these chemicals from acrossthe world. The message we are trying to make is that the HealthDepartment of Punjab in this case does not seem to have thecompetency to undertake or to review any epidemiological study.What the mind does not know the eyes do not see and the ears do nothear.We feel that the situation is grave and needs urgent interventions.The Expert Committee should take a serious view not just of theissue of cancer and pesticides but the lack of informed people inthe public health arena in our State. We also feel that the worthyChief Minister should himself intervene and should involveinstitutions of international repute like the Poison Control Centreof the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad; Centrefor Occupational & Environmental Health, New Delhi and ITRC, Lucknowin this matter along with civil society groups from Punjab andelsewhere.PESTICIDES AND CANCER:Each cell of a body has the inherent property residing in itsgenetic code to divide. Simultaneously, the genetic code of a cellhas the property to stop cell division once the purpose of divisionis achieved. If a cell starts dividing and the latter controllingmechanism fails, the uncontrolled multiplication of cells resultsinto what is commonly called cancer in lay language. As there arethousands of types of cells so there are thousands of types ofcancers. Further, what triggers the division of a particular celland what inhibits the controlling genetic code being variable theresultant types of cancers also vary in their nature, rapidity ofgrowth, mode and possibility of spread, malignant potential andabove all to response to the various modes of treatment (surgery,radiotherapy, chemotherapy). There is no single (universal) cause ofcancer and there is no single (universal) treatment of cancer.Substances or factors that enhance the occurrence of a particulartype or types of cancer are called CARCINOGENS (cancer causingagent). No carcinogen alone causes cancer – it only enhances therisk of a cancer. Such cancers are called carcinogen related cancer.Thus there are tobacco related cancers (cancers of mouth, pharynx,larynx and lungs); Radiation-related cancers (blood and lymphoidtissue cancers especially child hood blood cancers) and Pesticiderelated cancers (thyroid, breast, uterus, lymphoma – leukemia).Greater the exposure (amount and duration) more are the chances ofcancer. Even as the probability of cancer in the exposed group isenhanced with carcinogenic chemicals in the environment, there isnever any certainty in a particular individual exposed.Pesticide exposure has been recognized as an important environmentalrisk factor associated with cancer. Many of the pesticides used inIndia and in Punjab are known carcinogens and mutagens (a list ofpesticides classified under different classes of carcinogens isbeing annexed to this letter). Epidemiological association ofmalignancy in human beings with pesticide exposure has beenrecognized long back. A scientific study was initiated in 1993 byNational Cancer Institute, a premier and well known institution ofUSA on this matter. This very large study known as agriculturalhealth study (AHS) conclusively proved that pesticide exposure leadsto retinal degeneration, respiratory symptoms, dizziness, skinirritation, nervousness, depression and above all, a 15% increasedrisk of prostate cancer among pesticide users. Phase III of thisstudy has been started in 2004 and will give us more information onill effects of pesticide use.Agriculture and industrial workers are well-recognized as a high-risk group for these effects, but farming community at large,including families of pesticide users, population consumingpesticide contaminated products and population staying near fieldswhere pesticides are used liberally, is also at risk.Many pesticides are known or suspected to cause cancer in laboratoryanimals. The US EPA classifies pesticides into groups of known,probable and possible causes of human cancer. There is now a largebody of evidence that pesticide exposure is a risk factor for cancerin humans, especially children. Studies done in the United States,several European countries, Brazil and China show that childrenwhose parents are occupationally exposed to pesticides or whoseparents use pesticides in and around the home are more likely to getleukaemia, brain cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomaand Wilm's tumour. There are many studies done throughout the worldon farmers, pesticide sprayers and factory workers exposed topesticides that link cancer in adults to pesticide exposures. Thekinds of cancer that have been found include non-Hodgkin Lymphoma,brain cancer, leukaemia, soft tissue sarcoma, pancreatic, testicularand prostate cancer among others .A systematic review of pesticide human health effects was taken upin Canada in 2004 from studies all over the world . Chapter 3 of thereview focuses on lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer,brain cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer andkidney cancer. The review found many scientific studies which showedpositive associations between solid tumours and pesticide exposure.In particular, the large well-designed cohort studies that thereport reviewed consistently showed statistically significantpositive associations.Most of the time when these issues are raised by public healthexperts and concerned social activists, the Pesticide Industry (orthe chemical manufacturers' organisations) has always brought someoutdated papers to show that there is no such evidence to prove thelinkages. These arguments are exactly along the same lines used bythe tobacco industry for a long time to contradict the associationbetween tobacco exposure and cancer. They used to submit so-called 'scientifically valid' research studies to illustrate theirpoint that there was no correlation between tobacco exposure andcancer. This matter was debated in America's highest courtsextensively. Ultimately it was accepted world over that studiescorrelating tobacco with cancer were more reliable. The Americantobacco companies were made to pay billions of dollars ascompensation to cancer patients. Now, world over tobacco relatedcancers are accepted to be a reality - including in India.Similarly, pesticide related cancers are now a well known realitybased on scientific studies. There are several experimental,epidemiological and clinical studies published showing relationshipbetween certain types of cancers and certain pesticides. Pesticidesas a risk factor in specific types of cancers are cited in number ofrecent reports from USA and other parts of world. And most of thesereports are recent studies conducted since the 1990's.
The well planned and executed PGI Chandigarh study brings outunequivocal evidence that the indiscriminate, indiscreet, excessiveand unsafe use of pesticides in the study area, spurred mainly byaggressive marketing from the pesticide industry, is resulting insignificantly higher number of pesticide related cancers and cancerdeaths. Cancer figures from Rajasthan lend support to thecarcinogenic and teratogenic effect of pesticides used in the state.In Rajasthan, increased load of pesticides, especially in mustardand cotton cultivation, is believed to be responsible for high andincreasing incidences of blood, breast and thyroid cancers. Studiesconducted in the regional Cancer centre in Thiruvananthapuram, apremier Cancer Institute also clearly suggest the link of breastcancer to pesticides.Most common cancers linked with pesticide use are prostate cancer,breast cancer, lymphoma-leukaemia (blood cancers), and cancer ofstomach, gall bladder and various sarcomas. Much of these types ofcancers are found to be leading in the cotton growing study area ofthe PPCB-PGIMER study as well.
PESTICIDES AND NUMEROUS OTHER ADVERSE HEALTH IMPACTS:Many pesticides are also known to produce Teratogenic and mutagenicdefects. Like carcinogens, there are a wide variety of substancesand factors that may influence a growing foetus and cause birthdefects. Pesticides, by nature being life-threatening substances,have the potential, of varying grades, to adversely affect a growingfoetus. The delicate, developing foetus is highly vulnerable to suchtoxic substances. It is also well established that earlier the stageof pregnancy, greater the vulnerability. The vulnerability is alsosex linked i.e. a foetus of one sex is more likely to be adverselyaffected by a particular environmental insult (pesticide exposureetc). Strong evidence has been adduced to relate high incidence ofbrainless female children (neural tube defects) and high femalefetal loss (less number of females born or low female sex ratio atbirth especially in villages) in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab topesticide use. In Kerala, the increased incidence of congenitaldisorders an, male reproductive system problems in children havebeen linked to the use of a chemical Endosulfan in the cashewplantations. Apart from the ill effects of pesticides on embryo andfetus in the womb, pesticides have been demonstrated to severelyaffect the developmental abilities, both mental and motor, ofchildren. In Punjab, a study by Greenpeace India and Kheti VirasatMission had demonstrated this . Special attention should be paid toasses the ill effects of pesticide exposure on children. They arethe most vulnerable and silently suffering segment of the population.Besides being cancer causing (carcinogen) and birth defect causing(teratogen) agents, pesticides by their basic nature arebiologically toxic chemicals. They are known to and are meant tocause disruption of some vital biological functions of livingorganisms. In others, including human beings, they may causefunctional disruption resulting in bodily disorders in susceptiblepersons or on reaching a toxic level in the body systems.Other major health problems due to pesticide exposure are alsoincreasing at an alarming pace in the Malwa region of Punjab. Theseinclude neurological disturbance, female foetal loss, poorreproductive health, foetal growth retardation, low birth weightbabies, congenital birth defects and several endocrine-disruptingdiseases.
IMMEDIATE COURSE OF ACTION TO BE TAKEN UPIn this grave situation that one is witnessing in the Malwa regionof Punjab, what any responsible government would do is to approachthe matter with precaution. The Precautionary Principle saysthat "conclusive scientific evidence is not necessary in matters ofenvironment to take action to stop or prevent the problem". Hence,it is important that we need to stop the source of such a problemand then start mitigation measures, studies etc. In such situations,it is always recommended that we err on the side of precaution andnot wait for conclusive scientific evidence.Malwa Cotton Belt is an important cotton-producing region of ourcountry. Incidence of cancer is increasing day by day as is apparentfrom the number of cancer cases approaching major cancer treatmentcenters of this region. In just one private hospital in Muktsartown, 1400 cancer cases were recorded in the past one year. What ismore worrisome is that the majority of these cancer cases are thosewhich have a known association with pesticide exposure. In thiscontext, it should also be mentioned that around 54% of pesticidesused in this country are used on cotton alone, which occupies only5% of the agricultural land of the country. This intense use of amixture of pesticides on cotton makes Malwa especially vulnerable topesticide related cancers and other ailments.Given this context, we demand that pesticide use in the regionshould be phased out and alternative systems of farming likeIntegrated Pest Management-IPM, No Pesticide Management, OrganicFarming be implemented on a war footing so that we can make Punjab asafe place for us and our children to live and grow.
We also demand that:
• ECOLOGICAL and HEALTH EMERGENCY be declared immediatelyfor the entire cotton belt in the state. The plans and fundsallocated for the region should be diverted for remediation,rehabilitation and relief work of the affected on urgent basis. Thestate government should re-prioritise, re-structure and re-categorize its plans and projects with emphasis on crisismanagement.
• The Punjab Government should establish a highpowered "Environmental Health Crisis Management Task Force" withmajority participation from NGOs , Labour Organizations and farmergroups. A senior Epidemiologist or Environmentalist should head thistask force with powers on par with secretary rank to theGovernment.•
Punjab government must evolve a state policy on sustainableagriculture with a special focus on the cotton belt. It is alsourged that State Water Policy must reflect concerns aboutincreasing pesticide contamination in water resources andparticularly in ground water. Punjab is one of the highest consumersof agrochemicals and therefore, the state needs a policy onapplication of agrochemicals, with emphasis to eliminate their usein a phased manner.We also request you to permit us to present the peoples' view,including the view of experts from civil society, on this wholeissue giving us adequate time to prepare our facts and to arrangefor the travel of our experts.We have attached herewith:a) The Community Action Plan on Environmental Health andSustainable Agriculture evolved through a series of participatorydialogue and consultationsb)
A Compilation of studies on "Pesticides and Health" for yourperusalc) A list of carcinogenic pesticides and other chemicalsd) USEPA document on chemical evaluated for CarcinogenicPotentialAwaiting your positive response,
With regardsYours truly,
Umendra Dutt
Executive Director
Kheti Virasat Mission
The following organisations / scientists/doctors have signed on andendorsed this submission:
1. Kheti Virasat Mission, Jaitu, Faridkot 2. Greenpeace India, Bangalore
3. Thanal Environmental Group, Thiruvananthapuram 4. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad 5. Peoples' Science Institute, Dehradoon 6. The Ecological Foundation, New Delhi
7. Toxics Link, New Delhi 8. Centre for Education & Communication, New Delhi
9. Community Action for Pesticide Elimination,Thiruvananthapuram
10. Dr. S.G. Kabra, Indian Institute of Health Management &Research, Jaipur
11. Dr. T.K. Joshi, Director , Centre for Occupational &Environmental Health, LNJP Hospital, New Delhi
12. Dr. Davinder Sharma, Agriculture Expert and SeniorJournalist,New Delhi
13. Dr. B.D.Gupta, Retd. Head, Department of Oncology, PGIMER,Chandigarh
14. Dr. Kalinga K. Nayak, Adesh Cancer Hospital, Muktsar
15. Ms. Madhumitta Datta, Independent Environment Activist, NewDelhi
Copy to:1. Dr Manmohan Singh, Hon'ble Prime Minister, Government ofIndia, New Delhi
2. Capt. Amarinder Singh, Hon'ble Chief Minister – Punjab,Punjab Civil Secretariat, CHANDIGARH3. Justice D.K.Jain ,Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana HighCourt, Chandigarh.
4. Dr Anbumani Ramdoss, Hon'ble Minister for Health, Governmentof India , New Delhi
5. Dr. S.S.Johl, Deputy Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board,Chandigarh
6. Dr.G.S.Kalkat, Chairman, State Farmers Commission- Punjab,Mohali.
7. Jai Singh Gill, Chief Secretary- Punjab, Civil Secretariat,Chandigarh
For further Communications please contact:
Umendra DuttExecutive DirectorKHETI VIRASAT MISSIONStreet-5, Hardayal Nagar,JAITU-151202District: Faridkot, PunjabPhones:98726 82161 ;01635 – 503415E-mail: umendradutt@gmail.com
August 31, 2005
To,
Dr.K.K.TalwarDirector – PGIMER
and
Chairman,Expert Group on Health impacts of Pesticides,Chandigarh
Subject: Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab – SlowPoisoning of Punjab through Pesticides – Immediate and Long-termEnvironmental and Health remediation needed – Restoration of Eco-Agriculture only way out
Respected Sir,
Through this submission we (scientists, doctors and members of thecivil society groups working in the field of public health,environmental health, sustainable agriculture and ecology) wish tosubmit our views on the serious environmental health crisis that isbeing reported from the villages of Punjab, in particular regardingthe high incidences of cancer cases and deaths and the traces ofpesticides detected in blood samples in Malwa region.
BACKGROUND:
Reports of high incidence of cancer and other illnesses that couldbe linked to pesticides are emerging from the cotton belt of Malwaon a regular basis in recent times. The experience of such adversehealth impacts by members of the farming community cannot be denied –this is evident both from hospital records in the region as well asfrom informal discussions with people in the villages here. Civilsociety groups and media have been regularly reporting these figuresand experiences to the larger public. Just one private hospital inMuktsar has records to show that 1400 cases of cancers haveconsulted the hospital in just the last year!It is also well-established that cancers and pesticides are linkedand that certain types of cancer are related to pesticides more thanother factors. The higher incidence of pesticides-related cancers[within various types of cancers] in the Malwa belt cannot be deniedeither.Pesticides, many of which are endocrine disruptors, teratogens,mutagens, cholinesterase inhibitors and so on, are known to cause avariety of other human health impacts too. A study by GreenpeaceIndia and Kheti Virasat Mission in 2003 showed that thedevelopmental abilities of children in high-pesticide consumingareas like Bathinda are significantly lower than children in lowpesticide-consuming areas, pointing out that the next generation ofthe farming community in the state is also being put at risk withpesticides.
SLOW POISONING OF PUNJAB:
The use of pesticides, many of them in high volume, of very toxicclasses of pesticides and banned long ago in other countries, hasover the years come to stop killing the pests (due to development ofresistance in pests) and has started killing human beings and otherbeneficial fauna instead. In such a situation, farmers are beingbranded as negligent, erratic and ignorant. Farmers have startedmisusing and overusing many pesticides as resistant pests need morepesticides to kill, for which they are not to be blamed. The packageof practices which the PAU recommends have not only become archaicbut completely violated - the scientists and the extension wings ofthe PAU and the department of agriculture stand helpless as more andmore pesticides keep appearing in our vegetables, fruits, soil,water and human blood and tissues.Punjab has always been a state that showed the way forward for thecountry in the field of agriculture. Our people are supposed to bethe healthiest in the nation. But today Punjab is a mauled figure.Its people are getting less and less healthy. Its farmers aregetting more and more depressed, indebted and disillusioned withagriculture. Our farming – natural and organic as it used to behalf a century back - is now fully chemical and pesticide (poison)driven. More than 50% of our cost of cultivation in most crops goesfor chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Today Punjab, just onesmall state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of totalgeographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India,consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in thecountry. We believe this is a shame and speaks very badly of ouragriculture research and extension work as well as our farmingcommunity – that so much of poisons should be used to produce ourfood and crops. It's a shame especially in a new brave world wheremore and more countries, farmers and consumers are moving theorganic way and becoming conscious of the safety of the food theyeat and the water they drink. Punjab still continues to consume somuch of poisons in the name of an old and now derelict method ofcrop protection – by using pesticides. We hope the Expert Committeethat the government has set up recognizes this concern.We must end this vicious cycle of agro-chemicals with sustainable,sensible, safer methods of crop production. Organic Farming, No-Pesticide management (NPM), IPM etc, especially in Cotton, haveproven to be feasible and viable as farmers in other states aredemonstrating.
CONNECTION BETWEEN PESTICIDES AND THE MALWA HEALTH CRISIS
Studies done by the PPCB-PGIMER have concluded that pesticides usedand detected in the Malwa region could be one of the main reasonsfor the high incidence of cancer in the region. We are glad thatthis study initiated on the personal interest of the Chief MinisterCapt. Amarinder Singh, about two years back, has been able toidentify the main causes of this environmental health crisis amongthe people of Punjab.But with pain we wish to bring to your attention theirresponsibility on the part of some of the officers of the healthdepartment who are undoing the results of the PPCB-PGIMER study,without any scientific basis or understanding of toxicology and theeffects of pesticides on ecology and human health.It has come to public notice that the state health department alongwith some of the scientists of the PAU is negating this scientificand first ever large environmental epidemiological study done inPunjab by PGIMER with the support of the PPCB.Sir, what has been happening in the last few weeks can only betermed as Environmental Offence. It is already a shock thatPesticides have been detected in human blood and that the prevalenceand incidence of cancer in rural Punjab is increasing alarmingly.While public concern on this issue is wide and deep, we are equallyshocked to see that there is a concerted effort from many officersin the above-said departments to spread misinformation and dilutethe issue, thereby not only killing the seriousness of the matter,but abetting further continuance of the mistake of using more andmore pesticides in the fields. This official apathy to recognise thetruth in this matter is an act against the interests of Punjab andits people. The PPCB-PGIMER study was a scientifically planned andexecuted cancer-prevalence epidemiological study in selected highpesticide-exposure geographic areas of Punjab and this study is aclear indicator of the grave situation Punjab has fallen into.
DH&FW'S MISLEADING, UNSCIENTIFIC AND IRRESPONSIBLE APPROACH:
The study released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare[DH&FW] can in no way be called a study and is only a collation ofdata, irresponsibly collected with no specific objective. This wasdone on the basis of unscientific sample size, sample selection,methodology, data validation and statistical analysis. This raisesdoubts about the vested interests that our health department seemsto want to serve.Trying to extrapolate the results of such an ill planned study tothe whole state of Punjab and that too to compare it with anexhaustive epidemiological geographically localized study is, to saythe least, a perverse attempt to discredit one of the nation'spremier medical research institutions – the PGIMER, Chandigarh.It seems that the Department of Health Services is deliberatelytrying to create confusion about PPCB-PGIMER study by saying thatits sample size is not adequate (Population of 1,83,243 wassurveyed).Ironically, the same health department was part of whole processduring PGIMER study. Since PPCB-PGIMER study was reviewedperiodically by a expert group which include DHS also besides othereminent scientists. This study was accepted by this group beforebeing made public. Even a representative of DHS had singed thereport on the behalf of DHS .Hence it is a consensus documentbinding on all including state health department. But, suddenlyhealth department had taken a complete U – turn.. Now the healthdepartment saying that sample size of PPCB-PGIMER study by is notadequate (incidentally, nearly one lakh people were surveyed). Theyhave even gone to the extent of questioning the findings ofIndustrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow (a CSIR institute,which is the nodal centre for the UNEP sponsored Regionally-BasedAssessment of Persistent Toxic Substances and also the nodal centrefor the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention onPersistent Organic Pollutants) and the Quality Control Laboratoryfor Processed Food, Department of Post Harvest Technology, PAUwhich had done laboratory tests on behalf of PGIMER.The Centre for Science and Environment [CSE, New Delhi] foundpesticides in the blood of our fellow Punjabis. The CSE has done aservice to the general public of Punjab by drawing attention to thisvery important and urgent issue. Studies carried out in variousparts of the world by reputed research organisations have founddangerous levels of pesticides in the human body that can manifestas diseases at some later stage. But it is for the first time that aresearch organisation has come out with such startling data on thePunjabis. It was the duty of state health department to take noticeof issues like this whereas in Punjab the entire debate onenvironmental health crisis was initiated and regularly pursued bythe civil society groups. Unfortunately, instead of responding tothe crisis with initiation of mitigation measures, as is the mandateof the health department, and instead of encouraging and involvingthese civil groups in the process, the department seems to be keenon discounting all the evidences emerging and the efforts by civilsociety by discrediting them and branding their initiativesas 'false hue and cry' and 'unwanted panic'.Interestingly, many questions remain about the health department'srecent study on pesticides. The department did not find anypesticides in 235 blood samples taken from 12 districts and testedin the State Forensic Laboratory. One wonders whether the StateForensic Laboratory actually looked for pesticides; if so, whatmethodology was used, what equipments, what validation methods andwhat were the results and the graphs. Moreover, using such a studyto invalidate the PPCB-PGIMER study is itself ridiculous, as theobjectives and methods of the two studies were quite different.Another serious matter of concern is the statement made by the In-Charge of Patiala Laboratory about pesticide residues in human body.Dr. D. C. Sharma believes that pesticides get metabolised in thebody and are passed out in urine or excreta. He is of the view thateither pesticides get metabolised or a person will die of exposure.This is a very simplistic, ill-informed understanding ofpesticides. Each class of pesticides and each pesticide has a verydifferent toxicological profile and impacts on various media aredifferent. Hence, such a simplistic understanding of toxicology,especially from a responsible officer in charge of a public healthlab is dangerous for the good of the state.Several experts including senior toxicologist Dr. Prahlad K. Seth,Former Director, ITRC, Lucknow clearly says that it is just notpossible that chlorine (contained in many of the Organochlorinepesticides) doesn't leave behind any traces.Dr Sharma of the Patiala Lab has naively asked how the residue foundby PGIMER had pesticides which were banned in India two decadesback. This shows his ignorance about the Persistent OrganicPollutants or POPs.The `pesticides in blood' issue came into light with the CSEDirector Ms. Sunita Narayan releasing their study to the media on7th June, 2005 at Chandigarh. The Punjab Government swung intoaction only after that, ordered an enquiry and constituted a HighPowered Committee to look into this issue. With appreciablepromptness, on 25th July 2005, in a meeting of the expert group heldat PGIMER Chandigarh, the health department declared – "NO PESTICIDEFOUND IN BLOOD"! In just 40 days, they got 235 blood samples testedfor at least four groups of pesticides. This is simply impossible –both the process of testing and the results are not believable.Tests of breast milk even in an urban setting like New Delhi haverevealed pesticides in it and here our health department has notfound anything in as much as 235 samples in a study in as short atime !!It is important to know that within five days of the CSE report theofficials of the Patiala Laboratory had gone to the pressclaiming "No Pesticides in human blood, urine and vegetables". CSEstudy was released on 7 th June 2005 and on 12th June, the ChiefChemical Examiner had made a claim based on his findings in 2500cases of viscera examination. According to media reports, a clinicalstudy was conducted at State Chemical Laboratory, Patiala on thepossibility of insecticides used over crops and no poison has beendetected in the substance of any eatable or vegetable tested. Theyalso add that samples of blood and urine of human beings obtainedfrom different sources such as blood banks, clinical laboratoriesand volunteers have also been tested for traces of insecticides andpesticides. None of these samples have tested positive for anypoison. This statement was also reported in The Tribune dated June13, 2005.Incidentally Chairman of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group Mr SalilSinghal had also addressed the press conference refuting CSEfindings and on June12 and on the very same day the pressstatement was released by State Chemical Examiner from Chandigarh.What a interesting co-incidence !!It was demeaning to see how they contradicted the CSE study withoutany basis, and that too within five days. All they wanted to say isthat "The situation is not alarming". Interestingly two thingsmatter much here:a) The conclusions of Patiala laboratory and the logic of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group are so very similar.b) The haste with which they wanted to hush up the matter waslike silencing a crime.Many questions raised below remain unanswered:a) The Patiala Laboratory study was done very secretively. Whyhave they not revealed the study methodology and results even in theexpert group meeting held at PGI Chandigarh on 25th July? Why do notsuch studies have a proper report or a document? Who are theinvestigators and who are the experts who reviewed this study?b) Why are the conclusions given by Director-Family Welfare(DFW) very much similar with the arguments given by the Chairman ofAgro-Chemical Promotion Group? (Both are of the viewthat `pesticide residues' is not an issue in Punjab). The DFW hadgone to the extent of claiming that state level average of Cancerincidences of Punjab is very much lower than the national average –however, he has not made the source of his data clear. They saidthat prevalence of cancer is 120/lakh population in Punjab and this,they claim, is comparable to national prevalence. As the issue ofhigh cancer prevalence in Punjab is related to rural areas ofBathinda and Giddarbaha, we have to compare it with rural areasmentioned in National Cancer Registry Program of ICMR. The datastates that the incidence rate for male and female populations is46/lakh and 57/lakh population respectively in rural areas for India!c) The Department, according to their statements, had coveredfour districts – Mansa, Bathinda, Faridkot and Muktsar comprising ofnearly 1000 habitats and villages beside towns in just three days!!It is not clear what methodology was adopted for this survey. If thehealth department compiled this information from its paramedicalstaff then they should have visited each and every house. If door-to-door survey was conducted then the health staff would have visitednearly three lakh households and would have filled up as many surveyforms. Is this possible in three days? Or did they adopt any othermethodology to do such an exhaustive exercise? Every epidemiologicalstudy has a requisite protocol to be followed and a scientificmethodology to be adopted. What systems were followed in the study?What was the study design? What was the implementation mechanism?What was the time frame? Who was the Principal Investigator?d) Does the Patiala Laboratory have more expertise than ITRC?From where did they collect their samples? Did they take samplesfrom farmers, their families and farm workers or others who had longterm occupational exposure? What tests were carried out and whatwas the protocol followed? What instruments and equipments wereused? Do they have Gas Chromatograph (GC) or GLC with electroncapture detector for organochlorine, nitrogen, phosphorous detectorfor Organ phosphorous? Do they have an accredited lab for pesticideresidual analysis? Our information tells us that the ChemicalExaminer does not have a GC and they are working with a lesssensitive technique of THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY. To detectpesticides in blood a scientific residual analysis is required andfor that we have to detect pesticide traces to the extent of PPM orPPB. It is very doubtful whether the Patiala laboratory is capableof undertaking this exercise.Interestingly, these questions were asked in many a platform and theDirector Health & Family Welfare did not have any answer to thesequestions because of a simple reason – there were no proper surveysundertaken. The Health & Family Welfare department may swear by theauthenticity of the survey and data produced but the circumstantialevidence clearly indicates that a scientific fraud has beencommitted.According to news that appeared in Times of India Chandigarh editionon July 20 with dateline from Bathinda and Faridkot, the healthworkers had gone to the villages and announcements from loudspeakersin village gurudwaras were made to get the name of cancer patientsregistered at the health center in the village. In a large number ofvillages there was no announcement and hence no collection of data.The situation seemed to be more fudged up in urban areas - a largenumber of cancer patients in towns still have no knowledge about anysurvey.In Faridkot, most of the medical officers were asked on July 5thevening to submit the report of cancer patients in their respectiveareas by 12 noon on July 6. So, in some villages the auxiliary andparamedical staff members made the effort to reach gurudwaras forthe said announcements and in many other villages, the survey reportwas filled as per the whims and fancies of staff members.We request, for the sake of protection of public health, that athorough investigation be done to unveil the truth behind thisresponse from the Health Department, including an investigation intothe fraudulent way in which they went about manufacturing the studyreport. If it is true that the health department had indeed donesuch a thing, they should be made liable for committing a scientificfraud with intent to cause public harm and criminal prosecutionmeasures be taken against the officers responsible.We would also like to remind you that about three years ago, it wasthe same department which set aside the cancer prevalence findingsat that time. It was the same system through which the departmentfound nothing alarming even after high number of cancer cases werereported in villages like Jajjhal and Guiana even after it wasinstructed to take up a survey by the Hon'ble Chief Ministerhimself. The same arguments were given then but due to the vigilantrole of media and environmental groups and persistent follow-up ofthe Chief Minister, a study was sponsored by the Punjab PollutionControl Board.
PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS OR POPs:Though banned about two decades in many countries and banned andrestricted in India too later, many of the POPs are found in bloodsamples even today, all over the world. According to PGIMER study,the blood samples that they studied contain the residues of POPslike Heptachlor, DDT, Aldrin and other extremely toxic pesticideslike Chlorpyriphos, Ethion and Endosulfan. The Centre for Science &Environment (CSE) also found six to thirteen pesticides in virtuallyall blood samples. Some of them were POPs as: HCH, Aldrin and DDT.They also found Monocrotophos, Endosulfan, Phosphamidon,Chlorpyrifos and Malathion, all of which are used in high volumes inPunjab.POPs are banned in a majority of countries in the world. They are tobe eliminated from use all over the world through the StockholmConvention (2002), of which India is also a signatory. POPs areknown Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity,immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, andcongenital malformations. Even motherhood is challenged by POPsthrough foetotoxicity. Many of the POPs are also classified ascarcinogens, mutagens and even teratogens.POPs don't degrade for decades and cause toxicity for a very a longtime. Most of these POPs have a half-life period of 10 years andmore. The scientists and officials of the department of health andfamily welfare and the Patiala laboratory are either unaware orneglecting the knowledge available on these chemicals from acrossthe world. The message we are trying to make is that the HealthDepartment of Punjab in this case does not seem to have thecompetency to undertake or to review any epidemiological study.What the mind does not know the eyes do not see and the ears do nothear.We feel that the situation is grave and needs urgent interventions.The Expert Committee should take a serious view not just of theissue of cancer and pesticides but the lack of informed people inthe public health arena in our State. We also feel that the worthyChief Minister should himself intervene and should involveinstitutions of international repute like the Poison Control Centreof the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad; Centrefor Occupational & Environmental Health, New Delhi and ITRC, Lucknowin this matter along with civil society groups from Punjab andelsewhere.PESTICIDES AND CANCER:Each cell of a body has the inherent property residing in itsgenetic code to divide. Simultaneously, the genetic code of a cellhas the property to stop cell division once the purpose of divisionis achieved. If a cell starts dividing and the latter controllingmechanism fails, the uncontrolled multiplication of cells resultsinto what is commonly called cancer in lay language. As there arethousands of types of cells so there are thousands of types ofcancers. Further, what triggers the division of a particular celland what inhibits the controlling genetic code being variable theresultant types of cancers also vary in their nature, rapidity ofgrowth, mode and possibility of spread, malignant potential andabove all to response to the various modes of treatment (surgery,radiotherapy, chemotherapy). There is no single (universal) cause ofcancer and there is no single (universal) treatment of cancer.Substances or factors that enhance the occurrence of a particulartype or types of cancer are called CARCINOGENS (cancer causingagent). No carcinogen alone causes cancer – it only enhances therisk of a cancer. Such cancers are called carcinogen related cancer.Thus there are tobacco related cancers (cancers of mouth, pharynx,larynx and lungs); Radiation-related cancers (blood and lymphoidtissue cancers especially child hood blood cancers) and Pesticiderelated cancers (thyroid, breast, uterus, lymphoma – leukemia).Greater the exposure (amount and duration) more are the chances ofcancer. Even as the probability of cancer in the exposed group isenhanced with carcinogenic chemicals in the environment, there isnever any certainty in a particular individual exposed.Pesticide exposure has been recognized as an important environmentalrisk factor associated with cancer. Many of the pesticides used inIndia and in Punjab are known carcinogens and mutagens (a list ofpesticides classified under different classes of carcinogens isbeing annexed to this letter). Epidemiological association ofmalignancy in human beings with pesticide exposure has beenrecognized long back. A scientific study was initiated in 1993 byNational Cancer Institute, a premier and well known institution ofUSA on this matter. This very large study known as agriculturalhealth study (AHS) conclusively proved that pesticide exposure leadsto retinal degeneration, respiratory symptoms, dizziness, skinirritation, nervousness, depression and above all, a 15% increasedrisk of prostate cancer among pesticide users. Phase III of thisstudy has been started in 2004 and will give us more information onill effects of pesticide use.Agriculture and industrial workers are well-recognized as a high-risk group for these effects, but farming community at large,including families of pesticide users, population consumingpesticide contaminated products and population staying near fieldswhere pesticides are used liberally, is also at risk.Many pesticides are known or suspected to cause cancer in laboratoryanimals. The US EPA classifies pesticides into groups of known,probable and possible causes of human cancer. There is now a largebody of evidence that pesticide exposure is a risk factor for cancerin humans, especially children. Studies done in the United States,several European countries, Brazil and China show that childrenwhose parents are occupationally exposed to pesticides or whoseparents use pesticides in and around the home are more likely to getleukaemia, brain cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomaand Wilm's tumour. There are many studies done throughout the worldon farmers, pesticide sprayers and factory workers exposed topesticides that link cancer in adults to pesticide exposures. Thekinds of cancer that have been found include non-Hodgkin Lymphoma,brain cancer, leukaemia, soft tissue sarcoma, pancreatic, testicularand prostate cancer among others .A systematic review of pesticide human health effects was taken upin Canada in 2004 from studies all over the world . Chapter 3 of thereview focuses on lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer,brain cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, ovarian cancer andkidney cancer. The review found many scientific studies which showedpositive associations between solid tumours and pesticide exposure.In particular, the large well-designed cohort studies that thereport reviewed consistently showed statistically significantpositive associations.Most of the time when these issues are raised by public healthexperts and concerned social activists, the Pesticide Industry (orthe chemical manufacturers' organisations) has always brought someoutdated papers to show that there is no such evidence to prove thelinkages. These arguments are exactly along the same lines used bythe tobacco industry for a long time to contradict the associationbetween tobacco exposure and cancer. They used to submit so-called 'scientifically valid' research studies to illustrate theirpoint that there was no correlation between tobacco exposure andcancer. This matter was debated in America's highest courtsextensively. Ultimately it was accepted world over that studiescorrelating tobacco with cancer were more reliable. The Americantobacco companies were made to pay billions of dollars ascompensation to cancer patients. Now, world over tobacco relatedcancers are accepted to be a reality - including in India.Similarly, pesticide related cancers are now a well known realitybased on scientific studies. There are several experimental,epidemiological and clinical studies published showing relationshipbetween certain types of cancers and certain pesticides. Pesticidesas a risk factor in specific types of cancers are cited in number ofrecent reports from USA and other parts of world. And most of thesereports are recent studies conducted since the 1990's.
The well planned and executed PGI Chandigarh study brings outunequivocal evidence that the indiscriminate, indiscreet, excessiveand unsafe use of pesticides in the study area, spurred mainly byaggressive marketing from the pesticide industry, is resulting insignificantly higher number of pesticide related cancers and cancerdeaths. Cancer figures from Rajasthan lend support to thecarcinogenic and teratogenic effect of pesticides used in the state.In Rajasthan, increased load of pesticides, especially in mustardand cotton cultivation, is believed to be responsible for high andincreasing incidences of blood, breast and thyroid cancers. Studiesconducted in the regional Cancer centre in Thiruvananthapuram, apremier Cancer Institute also clearly suggest the link of breastcancer to pesticides.Most common cancers linked with pesticide use are prostate cancer,breast cancer, lymphoma-leukaemia (blood cancers), and cancer ofstomach, gall bladder and various sarcomas. Much of these types ofcancers are found to be leading in the cotton growing study area ofthe PPCB-PGIMER study as well.
PESTICIDES AND NUMEROUS OTHER ADVERSE HEALTH IMPACTS:Many pesticides are also known to produce Teratogenic and mutagenicdefects. Like carcinogens, there are a wide variety of substancesand factors that may influence a growing foetus and cause birthdefects. Pesticides, by nature being life-threatening substances,have the potential, of varying grades, to adversely affect a growingfoetus. The delicate, developing foetus is highly vulnerable to suchtoxic substances. It is also well established that earlier the stageof pregnancy, greater the vulnerability. The vulnerability is alsosex linked i.e. a foetus of one sex is more likely to be adverselyaffected by a particular environmental insult (pesticide exposureetc). Strong evidence has been adduced to relate high incidence ofbrainless female children (neural tube defects) and high femalefetal loss (less number of females born or low female sex ratio atbirth especially in villages) in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab topesticide use. In Kerala, the increased incidence of congenitaldisorders an, male reproductive system problems in children havebeen linked to the use of a chemical Endosulfan in the cashewplantations. Apart from the ill effects of pesticides on embryo andfetus in the womb, pesticides have been demonstrated to severelyaffect the developmental abilities, both mental and motor, ofchildren. In Punjab, a study by Greenpeace India and Kheti VirasatMission had demonstrated this . Special attention should be paid toasses the ill effects of pesticide exposure on children. They arethe most vulnerable and silently suffering segment of the population.Besides being cancer causing (carcinogen) and birth defect causing(teratogen) agents, pesticides by their basic nature arebiologically toxic chemicals. They are known to and are meant tocause disruption of some vital biological functions of livingorganisms. In others, including human beings, they may causefunctional disruption resulting in bodily disorders in susceptiblepersons or on reaching a toxic level in the body systems.Other major health problems due to pesticide exposure are alsoincreasing at an alarming pace in the Malwa region of Punjab. Theseinclude neurological disturbance, female foetal loss, poorreproductive health, foetal growth retardation, low birth weightbabies, congenital birth defects and several endocrine-disruptingdiseases.
IMMEDIATE COURSE OF ACTION TO BE TAKEN UPIn this grave situation that one is witnessing in the Malwa regionof Punjab, what any responsible government would do is to approachthe matter with precaution. The Precautionary Principle saysthat "conclusive scientific evidence is not necessary in matters ofenvironment to take action to stop or prevent the problem". Hence,it is important that we need to stop the source of such a problemand then start mitigation measures, studies etc. In such situations,it is always recommended that we err on the side of precaution andnot wait for conclusive scientific evidence.Malwa Cotton Belt is an important cotton-producing region of ourcountry. Incidence of cancer is increasing day by day as is apparentfrom the number of cancer cases approaching major cancer treatmentcenters of this region. In just one private hospital in Muktsartown, 1400 cancer cases were recorded in the past one year. What ismore worrisome is that the majority of these cancer cases are thosewhich have a known association with pesticide exposure. In thiscontext, it should also be mentioned that around 54% of pesticidesused in this country are used on cotton alone, which occupies only5% of the agricultural land of the country. This intense use of amixture of pesticides on cotton makes Malwa especially vulnerable topesticide related cancers and other ailments.Given this context, we demand that pesticide use in the regionshould be phased out and alternative systems of farming likeIntegrated Pest Management-IPM, No Pesticide Management, OrganicFarming be implemented on a war footing so that we can make Punjab asafe place for us and our children to live and grow.
We also demand that:
• ECOLOGICAL and HEALTH EMERGENCY be declared immediatelyfor the entire cotton belt in the state. The plans and fundsallocated for the region should be diverted for remediation,rehabilitation and relief work of the affected on urgent basis. Thestate government should re-prioritise, re-structure and re-categorize its plans and projects with emphasis on crisismanagement.
• The Punjab Government should establish a highpowered "Environmental Health Crisis Management Task Force" withmajority participation from NGOs , Labour Organizations and farmergroups. A senior Epidemiologist or Environmentalist should head thistask force with powers on par with secretary rank to theGovernment.•
Punjab government must evolve a state policy on sustainableagriculture with a special focus on the cotton belt. It is alsourged that State Water Policy must reflect concerns aboutincreasing pesticide contamination in water resources andparticularly in ground water. Punjab is one of the highest consumersof agrochemicals and therefore, the state needs a policy onapplication of agrochemicals, with emphasis to eliminate their usein a phased manner.We also request you to permit us to present the peoples' view,including the view of experts from civil society, on this wholeissue giving us adequate time to prepare our facts and to arrangefor the travel of our experts.We have attached herewith:a) The Community Action Plan on Environmental Health andSustainable Agriculture evolved through a series of participatorydialogue and consultationsb)
A Compilation of studies on "Pesticides and Health" for yourperusalc) A list of carcinogenic pesticides and other chemicalsd) USEPA document on chemical evaluated for CarcinogenicPotentialAwaiting your positive response,
With regardsYours truly,
Umendra Dutt
Executive Director
Kheti Virasat Mission
The following organisations / scientists/doctors have signed on andendorsed this submission:
1. Kheti Virasat Mission, Jaitu, Faridkot 2. Greenpeace India, Bangalore
3. Thanal Environmental Group, Thiruvananthapuram 4. Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad 5. Peoples' Science Institute, Dehradoon 6. The Ecological Foundation, New Delhi
7. Toxics Link, New Delhi 8. Centre for Education & Communication, New Delhi
9. Community Action for Pesticide Elimination,Thiruvananthapuram
10. Dr. S.G. Kabra, Indian Institute of Health Management &Research, Jaipur
11. Dr. T.K. Joshi, Director , Centre for Occupational &Environmental Health, LNJP Hospital, New Delhi
12. Dr. Davinder Sharma, Agriculture Expert and SeniorJournalist,New Delhi
13. Dr. B.D.Gupta, Retd. Head, Department of Oncology, PGIMER,Chandigarh
14. Dr. Kalinga K. Nayak, Adesh Cancer Hospital, Muktsar
15. Ms. Madhumitta Datta, Independent Environment Activist, NewDelhi
Copy to:1. Dr Manmohan Singh, Hon'ble Prime Minister, Government ofIndia, New Delhi
2. Capt. Amarinder Singh, Hon'ble Chief Minister – Punjab,Punjab Civil Secretariat, CHANDIGARH3. Justice D.K.Jain ,Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana HighCourt, Chandigarh.
4. Dr Anbumani Ramdoss, Hon'ble Minister for Health, Governmentof India , New Delhi
5. Dr. S.S.Johl, Deputy Chairman, Punjab State Planning Board,Chandigarh
6. Dr.G.S.Kalkat, Chairman, State Farmers Commission- Punjab,Mohali.
7. Jai Singh Gill, Chief Secretary- Punjab, Civil Secretariat,Chandigarh
For further Communications please contact:
Umendra DuttExecutive DirectorKHETI VIRASAT MISSIONStreet-5, Hardayal Nagar,JAITU-151202District: Faridkot, PunjabPhones:98726 82161 ;01635 – 503415E-mail: umendradutt@gmail.com
KVM demands ban 37 pesticides: Letter to Director Agriculture Punjab
To,
Director,
Department of Agriculture,
Government of Punjab,
81-85, Sector 34 A,
CHANDIGARH
Subject: Recommend ban on 37 pesticides to Central Insecticide Board & Expert Committee headed by Dr.C.D.Mayee
Respected Sir,
It is came to our notice that your good office has been informed by a official letter from Dr. Sandhya Kulshrestha , Secretary – CIB & RC , [Letter No. F.No.4-3/2 QPS-CIR-II ],that the CIB has constituted a expert group under the Chairmanship of Dr. C.D.Mayee of Agriculture Scientist Recruitment Board(ASRB) to review 37 pesticides which are banned / restricted in other countries but are being used in India.
Sir, the CIB has asked you to provide your observations, considered views , opinions and experiences on pesticides which under review, namely:
Monocrotophos
Mancozeb
Quinalphos
Butachlor
Diclorvos(DDVP)
Acephate
Fenitronthion
CarbendaZim
Atrazine
Pendimethalin
Sir, as CIB sought your views on the various aspects of toxicology, environment fate and eco-toxicology of these pesticides, it is important to submit here that you are very much familiar with the health impacts of pesticides and havoc played by these deadly chemicals.
Director Sir, it is humble submission by the Kheti Virasat Mission that:
v The state government should recommend the banning of these pesticides since they are known to put farmers on a pesticides treadmill, known to cause pest resistance and resurgence, put farmers at economic losses, and cause acute poisoning as well as long term health problems in addition to contaminating our environment. It is combinations of all these reasons that have made other countries ban these pesticides in any case.
v Though we welcome this move of Government to invite views on at least 10 pesticides but we demand that the government must put out information on all the 37 pesticides under review and not take up just these 10 pesticides.
v That the state government put out in the public domain its response to this letter of Secretary, CIB.
v That the CIB and expert committee under Dr C D Mayee consider all such pesticides which fall under Class 1a, Class 1b, carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting pesticides and not just the above ten pesticides. This should of course include Endosulfan which has caused so much havoc in Kerala and Karnataka, in addition to other places where it is used.
v That liability for the damage caused so far be fixed on concerned parties i.e. the pesticide companies.
v Recently a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) sponsored epidemiological study done by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh has indicated the rise in cancer cases in Cotton belt of Punjab. The study indicates that Cotton belt of Punjab is engulfed by lethal pesticides and causing major health problems. Though this study was done in one Talwandi Sabo block of Bathinda district but the similar symptoms are emerging from entire cotton belt. The situation is so grim that village after village is reporting cancer, reproductive disorder, birth of mentally retarded children and other pesticide related diseases.
v The PGIMER study clearly indicts pesticides for high prevalence of cancer in the area. Study found both tap and groundwater laced with carcinogenic chemicals. Tap water contains high content of arsenic, chromium, iron, and Hg. Where as ground water also was replete with arsenic, chromium, nickel and ferrous. Even these deadly pesticides had seeped into locally-grown vegetables as well. The cauliflower was toxicated with Heptachlor Endoepoxide, Chlorpyrifos, Alpha Endosulfan and Alfa HCH.
v Today Punjab, just one small state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of total geographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India, consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in the country. This is a warning written on the wall.
v Apart from PGIMER-PPCB and CSE studies there are several other studies done at PAU and ICMR related to pesticide residues particularly POPs in food and milk chain of Punjab.
v It is also a most worrisome factor that traces of Persistent Organic Pollutants -POPs are found at large in Punjab. This is slow poisoning of Punjab. POPs are banned in majority of countries. POPs are known Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, and congenital malformations. Even the motherhood is challenged by POPs through foetotoxicity.
v The pollution from POPs knows no boundaries. They travel long distances and get deposited and accumulated in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are highly toxic even in very low concentrations, and resist degradation. The POPs can accumulate in fatty tissue (bioaccumulation), becoming more concentrated higher in the food chain and with time by biomagnification process.
v The abnormally high numbers of cancer cases are reported from all parts of Malwa’s cotton belt. Villages in Mansa, Sangrur, Lambi, Giddarbaha, Malout and Abohar also witnessing spreading clutches of deadly cancer.
Sir, your recommendation will have far reaching impact on ecology, environmental health, and public health, sustainability of agriculture and natural resources of Punjab. You can create history with bold recommendations and can save thousands of farmers. The elimination of pesticides will give a chance to Mother Nature to revive, to regenerate the lost eco-system. This can also pave way for a new sustainable eco- agriculture movement in Punjab.
Hope you will recommend a complete ban on not only 10 pesticides, but all 37 pesticides which were already banned in several other countries. As India is moving to become developed country we must care our environment also. It is our duty to hand over the ecological heritage in a healthy state to future generations.
The organic way of agriculture can definitely provide nature-friendly alternatives to these chemicals .It can also assure yields, profits, health, safe environment, rich bio-diversity and a Punjab with imperishable prosperity.
Thanking you
Yours truly,
(Umendra Dutt)
Executive Director,
Kheti Virasat Mission
To,
Director,
Department of Agriculture,
Government of Punjab,
81-85, Sector 34 A,
CHANDIGARH
Subject: Recommend ban on 37 pesticides to Central Insecticide Board & Expert Committee headed by Dr.C.D.Mayee
Respected Sir,
It is came to our notice that your good office has been informed by a official letter from Dr. Sandhya Kulshrestha , Secretary – CIB & RC , [Letter No. F.No.4-3/2 QPS-CIR-II ],that the CIB has constituted a expert group under the Chairmanship of Dr. C.D.Mayee of Agriculture Scientist Recruitment Board(ASRB) to review 37 pesticides which are banned / restricted in other countries but are being used in India.
Sir, the CIB has asked you to provide your observations, considered views , opinions and experiences on pesticides which under review, namely:
Monocrotophos
Mancozeb
Quinalphos
Butachlor
Diclorvos(DDVP)
Acephate
Fenitronthion
CarbendaZim
Atrazine
Pendimethalin
Sir, as CIB sought your views on the various aspects of toxicology, environment fate and eco-toxicology of these pesticides, it is important to submit here that you are very much familiar with the health impacts of pesticides and havoc played by these deadly chemicals.
Director Sir, it is humble submission by the Kheti Virasat Mission that:
v The state government should recommend the banning of these pesticides since they are known to put farmers on a pesticides treadmill, known to cause pest resistance and resurgence, put farmers at economic losses, and cause acute poisoning as well as long term health problems in addition to contaminating our environment. It is combinations of all these reasons that have made other countries ban these pesticides in any case.
v Though we welcome this move of Government to invite views on at least 10 pesticides but we demand that the government must put out information on all the 37 pesticides under review and not take up just these 10 pesticides.
v That the state government put out in the public domain its response to this letter of Secretary, CIB.
v That the CIB and expert committee under Dr C D Mayee consider all such pesticides which fall under Class 1a, Class 1b, carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting pesticides and not just the above ten pesticides. This should of course include Endosulfan which has caused so much havoc in Kerala and Karnataka, in addition to other places where it is used.
v That liability for the damage caused so far be fixed on concerned parties i.e. the pesticide companies.
v Recently a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) sponsored epidemiological study done by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh has indicated the rise in cancer cases in Cotton belt of Punjab. The study indicates that Cotton belt of Punjab is engulfed by lethal pesticides and causing major health problems. Though this study was done in one Talwandi Sabo block of Bathinda district but the similar symptoms are emerging from entire cotton belt. The situation is so grim that village after village is reporting cancer, reproductive disorder, birth of mentally retarded children and other pesticide related diseases.
v The PGIMER study clearly indicts pesticides for high prevalence of cancer in the area. Study found both tap and groundwater laced with carcinogenic chemicals. Tap water contains high content of arsenic, chromium, iron, and Hg. Where as ground water also was replete with arsenic, chromium, nickel and ferrous. Even these deadly pesticides had seeped into locally-grown vegetables as well. The cauliflower was toxicated with Heptachlor Endoepoxide, Chlorpyrifos, Alpha Endosulfan and Alfa HCH.
v Today Punjab, just one small state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of total geographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India, consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in the country. This is a warning written on the wall.
v Apart from PGIMER-PPCB and CSE studies there are several other studies done at PAU and ICMR related to pesticide residues particularly POPs in food and milk chain of Punjab.
v It is also a most worrisome factor that traces of Persistent Organic Pollutants -POPs are found at large in Punjab. This is slow poisoning of Punjab. POPs are banned in majority of countries. POPs are known Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, and congenital malformations. Even the motherhood is challenged by POPs through foetotoxicity.
v The pollution from POPs knows no boundaries. They travel long distances and get deposited and accumulated in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are highly toxic even in very low concentrations, and resist degradation. The POPs can accumulate in fatty tissue (bioaccumulation), becoming more concentrated higher in the food chain and with time by biomagnification process.
v The abnormally high numbers of cancer cases are reported from all parts of Malwa’s cotton belt. Villages in Mansa, Sangrur, Lambi, Giddarbaha, Malout and Abohar also witnessing spreading clutches of deadly cancer.
Sir, your recommendation will have far reaching impact on ecology, environmental health, and public health, sustainability of agriculture and natural resources of Punjab. You can create history with bold recommendations and can save thousands of farmers. The elimination of pesticides will give a chance to Mother Nature to revive, to regenerate the lost eco-system. This can also pave way for a new sustainable eco- agriculture movement in Punjab.
Hope you will recommend a complete ban on not only 10 pesticides, but all 37 pesticides which were already banned in several other countries. As India is moving to become developed country we must care our environment also. It is our duty to hand over the ecological heritage in a healthy state to future generations.
The organic way of agriculture can definitely provide nature-friendly alternatives to these chemicals .It can also assure yields, profits, health, safe environment, rich bio-diversity and a Punjab with imperishable prosperity.
Thanking you
Yours truly,
(Umendra Dutt)
Executive Director,
Kheti Virasat Mission
KVM demands : Appoint District Epidemiologists in Punjab - An letter to CM Punjab
To,
Capt. Amarinder Singh
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab,
Punjab Civil Secretariat,
CHANDIGARH
Subject: District Epidemiologists in Punjab
Respected Sir,
Your good self is very much aware of Environmental- health crisis of Punjab and we also appreciate initiatives you had taken in this regard.
Sir, the environmental- health crisis needs constant surveillance and a mechanism for regular information and data collection. For this, a District Epidemiologist has to be posted at Civil Surgeons’ Office every district headquarters.
The district epidemiologist is responsible for collecting information and primary data, making arrangements for monitoring, coordinating with hospitals to keep vigil on occurrence of any communicable or non-communicable disease. Maintaining list of notifiable diseases and sending information to State Epidemiologist.
Chief Minister Sir, according to our information no body is posted in any of district in Malwa belt where environmental-health crisis has become acute and it is epidemic like situation.
The district epidemiologist /CMO office does not seem to have the current list of Notifiable diseases wherein he can receive mandatory notification of certain diseases from the periphery. The monthly/periodical report of morbidity/mortality generated by him to the state HQ mainly includes number of patients of various diseases admitted in Government hospitals. Sir, the cancer and other patients related to the present environmental crisis in the Malwa belt largely get OPD treatment/admitted in other than Government health facilities, hence may not be getting registered in government facilities, giving rise to incomplete picture of the pattern of diseases. Had there been such a provision, the Epidemiologist would have readily discerned the unusual clustering of cancer cases/ rise in prevalence of neural tube defects in children / occurrence of other pesticide-toxicity related disease in the Malwa belt districts.
There is no cancer registry, nor is there any provision to notify occurrence of cancer to the district epidemiologist from private health facilities or OPD treatment. Then how health department is working on the mitigation of environmental health crisis without baseline date and primary information?
What mechanism has been adopted by health department for surveillance of communicable and non-communicable diseases?
If Chief Medical Officers does not have any list of Notifiable diseases then what information and depending on which situation is gathered? Then how they are monitoring the state of health in their respective districts?
Sir, Punjab being a progressive and "the Best" state in the country, a more professional and responsive health system is expected under you able leadership and especially as Health is a state subject.
Sir, We requests you please look into this urgent matter and make sure the posting of district epidemiologists in Punjab especially in Malwas’ cotton belt and make an efficient arrangement of regular monitoring and surveillance system to check the devastating environmental-health crisis in Malwa belt.
In fact we are of view that a citizens committee on epidemiological surveillance can be formed under District Epidemiologists to ensure community participation in mitigation and crisis management process.
Hope that Punjab Government will take our submission in a constructive perspective and mention the civil society initiatives in its plans.
Thanking You
Yours truly,
(Umendra Dutt)
Executive Director
Kheti Virasat Mission
JAITU
Pesticide Lobby Launches Offensive On Environmental Groups
By Umendra Dutt
09 March, 2006
The Pesticide Industry has now gone on an all out war cry, not against the Pests, as is their mandate but against public science, concerns of health and the ensuing public opinion that is growing against their products. In addition, at the receiving end of this tirade is a growing group of civil groups, public health experts and even farmers, whom the pesticide industry has seemingly been serving for more than half a century!
Please be aware all environmental activists, NGOs and Doctors that your concern for the growing debt marauded villages, or for the growing thousands of widows whose farmer husbands drank the very pesticides to save themselves from debt ( look at the irony – the same pesticides that "saved" them from pests in their crops), or for the millions of consumers, exposed to pesticides at poisoning levels ( for some pesticides even the smallest detectable levels are known to be poisonous ) causing ill-health of diverse and scattered nature, your concerns could after all be "anti-national" & "anti- farmer".
The Agrochemical Promotion Group has this new theory to put forward. And we have already heard something quite similar some where before. "Either you are with us (in this offensive against pests, which is incidentally making some of us multi-millionaires, while a few thousand farmers or a few million acres of farm lands could be poisoned) or you are against the country" –seems to be their loud thinking. Moreover, the Crop Care Federation of India, another of the pesticide vending cartels, believes that any talk on the ill effects of pesticides is going to drag India behind. They have it seems done some "Research" on this aspect!
Moreover, in their desperate, yet systematic build up of their poisoning industrial empires, they seem to have adopted some of the most emotive of claims. They are 'nationalists', 'progressive', and 'forward looking', 'farmer friendly In addition, according to the CCFI formerly known as Pesticides Association of India, the environmentalists are indulged in "an organized attempt to mislead people. As a result India might lapse into wheat importing country." Ironically, this year, India did import wheat inspite of surplus production and stock. May we ask the pesticide industry why even after fifty years of your crop protection the farmers themselves are not able to afford to buy what they produce? Why millions of farmers, a known 40% of them atleast are going to their beds with a hungry stomach, inspite of their production, and your crop protection. The reasons are there to see, if you have the heart to see them. While production has increased, and productivity doubled or tripled, the farmer has to spent more and more for the same, get more and more loans, for all the costly inputs you have formulated and developed for him, and in the end made him eat his own dust, while the agro-chemical cartels and promotion groups languish in lavish bunglows counting the profits, and devising methods to protect their pesticide products.
Ironically, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, whose decades were spent trying to convince and sell to countries the need for modern agriculture has off late seen better sense and is promoting IPM, Alternate methods of crop management and advocates minimal use of chemical pesticides. And infact, the Agro-Chemical promotion Group, itself by name is a violation of the "International Code of Conduct on the Use and Distribution of Pesticides" of the FAO, signed by all countries and stake groups including industries and environmental as well as public health organisations. We advice that the APG change their name, as they should not, as per the code, be seen as an organisation "Promoting" the agro-chemicals.
The irony is that even Chemical companies cannot openly promote their chemicals as a "safe", "non-toxic", "non-poisonous" etc, and they are bound to the code and have to advocate judicious use of these pesticides, as per need and only as per many state, national and international conditions, most of which are for protecting public health and the environment from damages.
Of late the Pesticide industry lobby has been levelling some hilarious allegations against environmental groups and anybody who finds evidence of their chemicals contaminating blood or food or the environment. In a statement to media on 14 February 2006 at Ahmedabad, one of the top officers of the Crop Care Federation of India stated that they had already initiated action against Maneka Gandhi and Kheti Virasat Mission for making false claims about ill effects of pesticides on human beings and environment. Now one would like to now what kind of actions these are ? And who are they to take actions against civil society who have been raising the concerns of the farmers and consumers of this country.
It seems that agro-chemical groups and pesticide industry is feeling threatened by environmental groups when they say, "Baseless allegations of environmentalists has seriously challenged interests of Rs.6000 crore pesticide industry in the country …. As a result we have decided to challenge all such false campaigns." Now, we have one of these groups taking on this challenge that we as civil society has posed to them. We were waiting for this. We have evidence that people exposed to pesticides are being poisoned – farmers and consumers, women and children and we have evidence – even official government statements and data that many of these pesticides are extremely hazardous and many even be carcinogenic and mutagenic. Now we want the APG and CCFI to prove that our concerns, backed by studies are "false campaigns".
There are number of reports that came out in recent past, which put pesticide industry in deep worry. After CSE's report on pesticides in colas, followed by their expose of pesticides in blood of Punjabis, then came the Greenpeace India's report on impact of pesticides on growth of children that has sharpened the debate. The PGIMER report on abnormally high incidents of cancer in Malwa region pointed the finger clearly on pesticides for the dance of death. The CSE's report on traces of pesticides in human blood in Bathinda district initiated the debate on health and environmental impacts of pesticides in media and larger civil society. A general feeling has grown that pesticides are creating havoc for man and nature. Mean while the campaign for No pesticide use by various organic farming groups has gained significant momentum and public support. Many of the modern farmers who had fallen to the pesticide trap in the last 5 decades, have now realised and come out of the trap and have even joined the organic movement.
In a letter to the author of this article, who is also the Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission, the Convener of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group (APG) Ninad Gupte states that "You are levelling many wild accusations and criticizing the use of pesticides and have made several statements which are patently false, derogatory and misplaced". The letter further accused that, our perceptions are wrong; they have no basis of substance and reflect an unfortunate ignorance about the use and purpose of pesticides in agriculture. According to APG, the KVM is not only confusing the farmers, but are also spreading canards, which are not acceptable to the pesticide industry.
Mr.Ninad Gupte has even gone to the extreme extent by saying "You are yourself an educated person, and surely would not like to indulge in anti national and anti farmer policies of damaging Indian agriculture". Further, he "strongly advised to either submit evidence that pesticides indeed do adversely affect health/cause cancer at the levels they are found in traces or withdraw your damaging anti-pesticide campaign"
We request Ninad Gupte to read Para 3.9 of the International Code of Conduct on pesticide Use and Distribution. It reads " Governments, with the support of relevant international and regional organizations, should encourage and promote research on, and the development of, alternatives posing fewer risks: biological control agents and techniques, non-chemical pesticides and pesticides that are, as far as possible or desirable, target-specific, that degrade into innocuous constituent parts or metabolites after use and are of low risk to humans and the environment. " So your pesticides are a recognised risk – globally and nationally. And we are all bound to see that we should reduce the risk. And when as a civil society we see that this is an unnecessary risk and there is availability of alternatives and better, cheaper and sustainable methods, how does it become wrong to ask for the stopping of the use of chemical pesticides. And according to your new found hilarious argument, would you say that Government of India is "anti-national" when they advocate IPM or safer alternatives instead of chemical pesticides !
The frustration of the industry is understandable, but their actions are making a joke of their industry. In his talk with media persons over phone Mr Salil Singhal, Chairman of the "illegally" formed ( as per the FAO Code) APG again shows his anger on KVM, Greenpeace and others for their safe food campaign. According to him, an activity to 'mislead' farmers on pesticide use is as equal as anti-national activities. He even dared to show his intentions and declared that he would teach KVM and others a lesson.
Following this, the Crop Care Federation of India had sent a legal notice to KVM asking for unconditional apology in writing for commenting on health impacts of pesticides. The CCFI notice claimed that, they have invested huge amount of capital and generated employment and have also earned valuable foreign exchange for nation. We feel that all these claims will look tall and impressive, if it is not read with the ecological and health damage caused in the process. The notice further says that the CCFI members, (read pesticide manufacturers), "supplies quality pesticides to the farmers in various parts of the country and world over without which not only crop yield would have been reduced but also crops would have been destroyed." More than 100 questions have been asked about pesticides in the Lok Sabha just about pesticides, spurious, banned, illegal and about their impacts. And most of the time, the Government categorically declares that they are recommending IPM and also minimising use of pesticides" Here are a sample of a few such answers
"The Government of India is implementing a Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) for increasing the production and productivity of the cotton crop. The TMC includes grants-in-aid for establishment of biological control laboratories for minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and training of farmers in Integrated Pest Management. Insecticides Resistance Management strategies are also being promoted under this programme to complement the efforts of Integrated Pest Management approach"
"The Government has already conceded to a question in the parliament on pesticide residues that "In general, pesticide residues are not desirable in agricultural produce." However, as cured leaf of tobacco is not a food item, maximum tolerance limit of pesticide residues for the same has not been prescribed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1955."
"… Government is advocating `Integrated Nutrient Management` (INM) by promoting soil test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction with organic manures, bio-fertilizers, etc. and also Integrated Pest Management (IPM) providing mechanical, biological control methods and need based use of pesticides, Government is also advocating organic farming by using organic inputs for plant nutrients."
"The Registration Committee, constituted under the Act, registers pesticides for use in the country only after satisfying itself regarding their efficacy and safety to human beings and animals. In keeping with the above objectives, it has been decided not to register Class Ia or Ib pesticides without sufficient justification, even though Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct does not debar the use of Class Ia, Class Ib and Class II pesticides."
CAN THE APG AND CCFI TELL US WHY THIS PRECAUTION ? WHY THE REGISTRATION ? WHY YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE OF TESTING AND TOXICITY STUDIES ETC ?
BECAUSE BASICALLY YOUR PRODUCTS ARE POSIONS AND THEY NEED TO BE REGULATED.
And now, we have a spate of studies that show that this regulations has miserably failed in the country. The Endosulfan Spray issue in Kasaragod, Kerala has shown that all precautionary and safety systems are a eye-wash in the country. And following the medical evidence produced by a detailed epidemiological study by the NIOH, the jittery industry and the government arm-twisted the system to keep the pesticide in the market. The results are funny. "Endosulfan is banned in Kerala, but can be used in all the other states". The message is clear – If you want it banned in Punjab, then prove that Punjabis can also be poisoned or may die out of endosulfan !! Never in history has agriculture scientists, officials and the industry ever distorted science to this blatant extent. Shamefully blatant.
And the same history of violation, the same drama is being enacted in Punjab – the hot bed of farming crisis. While the APG and CCFI is challenging the people, let us have a look at the ground in Punjab.
The entire eco-system of Punjab , that sustained farming and was the food basket of India has literally collapsed. There are several health impacts quite visible in Punjab . The economy of Punjab is in great stress due to intensive chemicalization of agriculture, and its unchecked modernisation. The pesticide companies have earned corers of rupees from Punjab alone, while the farmers are committing suicides. Even the government has conceded the suicide data - 2116 numbers. Do the APG and CCFI have any idea how these widows are surviving now? How their children are being educated ?
And the irony is that most of the victims are farmers, not business men, not a single pesticide dealer, stockiest and manufacturer suffer from chemicalized agriculture. Farmers lost their farms , their houses are mortgaged but pesticide industry has grown up. Their profits are rising high.
Now studies show that pesticide have nothing to do with yield, productivity and food security. This myth has been broken, and any such claims are only to satisfy their egoes – after all they need a public ( national ) reason to make profits, especially when the product itself is just poisons. And in fact the use of pesticides have only increased the number of pests ( look at the state of pesticide sprayed cotton fields).
At the same time there are several success models of NO PESTICIDE FARMING in India and abroad. And many of such experiments are in Cotton and Grains, the two most pesticide sprayed crops in the country.
It is also well-established that cancers and pesticides are linked and that certain types of cancer are related to pesticides more than other factors. The higher incidence of pesticides-related cancers [within various types of cancers] in the Malwa belt cannot be denied either.
Punjab has always been a state that showed the way forward for the country in the field of agriculture. Our people are supposed to be the healthiest in the nation. But today Punjab is a mauled figure. Its people are getting less and less healthy. Its farmers are getting more and more depressed, indebted and disillusioned with agriculture. Our pride – our farms and our strength (bodily and economically) has been compromised and we have become weak. Look at our off springs – and look at how unhealthy they are ? Our farming – natural and organic as it used to be half a century back - is now fully chemical and pesticide (poison)driven. More than 50% of our cost of cultivation in most crops goes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Today Punjab , just one small state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of total geographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India , consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in the country. We believe this is a shame and speaks very badly of our agriculture research and extension work as well as our farming community – that so much of poisons should be used to produce our food and crops. It's a shame especially in a new brave world where more and more countries, farmers and consumers are moving the organic way and becoming conscious of the safety of the food they eat and the water they drink. Punjab still continues to consume so much of poisons in the name of an old and now derelict method of crop protection – by using pesticides.
Though banned about two decades in many countries and banned and restricted in India too later, many of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are found in blood samples even today, all over the world. According to PGIMER study, the blood samples that they studied contain the residues of POPs like Heptachlor, DDT, Aldrin and other extremely toxic pesticides like Chlorpyriphos, Ethion and Endosulfan. The Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) also found six to thirteen pesticides in virtually all blood samples. Some of them were POPs as: HCH, Aldrin and DDT. They also found Monocrotophos, Endosulfan, Phosphamidon, Chlorpyrifos and Malathion, all of which are used in high volumes in Punjab .
POPs are banned in a majority of countries in the world. They are to be eliminated from use all over the world through the Stockholm Convention (2002), of which India is also a signatory. POPs are known Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, and congenital malformations. Even motherhood is challenged by POPs through foetotoxicity. Many of the POPs are also classified as carcinogens, mutagens and even teratogens.
POPs do not degrade for decades and cause toxicity for a very a long time. Most of these POPs have a half-life period of 10 years and more. There are several reports available regarding contamination of each food crop in Punjab.
The World has changed a lot in the last 50 years(ref1). When DDT was discovered and used widely, the world thought that this was a wonder chemical. Today it is a recognised POPs and countries have banned it, and in a few years it will be phased out of the earth. We strongly believe that inspite of the tirade unleashed by the Pesticide Industry, their lives are also not more than that, and very soon, the APG and CCFI will be forgotten names in history. Because mankind have always struggled to get out of this unsafe existence into a safer and more comfortable world.
We believe that in the wider interest of the farmers, consumers and the humanity as a whole, the APG and the CCFI and all the other cartels selling pesticides should stop this illegal promotional activity and their tirade against the civil society. They should stop selling their poisons. We invite all members of APG and CCFI to visit Punjab with us and find the reality – the reality that bites. They could see the writing on wall if they want.
Please live and let live the life and nature in Punjab
Ref1
The following are the various international instruments used to regulate pesticides and manage crops safely.
The Codex Alimentarius, and more specifically the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, operational since 1966 (41);
· The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer , adopted in 1987 and entered into force in 1989, and its subsequent amendments (42);
· The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal , adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992 (39);
· The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade , adopted in 1998 (1);
· The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in 2001 (43).B. International policy instruments that provide a general policy context for pesticide management
· The Convention concerning Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 1993 (44);
· The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development , proclaimed by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (45);
· Agenda 21 – Global Programme of Action on Sustainable Development, and more specifically chapters 14 ( Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development ) and 19 ( Environmentally Sound Management of Toxic Chemicals, Including Prevention of Illegal International Traffic in Toxic and Dangerous Products ), adopted in 1992 (46);
· The Convention on Biological Diversity , adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1993 (47);
· The Convention concerning the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents , adopted in 1993 and entered into force in 1997 (48);
· The Rome Declaration on World Food Security and The World Food Summit Plan of Action , adopted in 1996 (49);
· The World Health Declaration and Health-for-all in the 21 st Century , adopted in 1998 (50).
By Umendra Dutt
09 March, 2006
The Pesticide Industry has now gone on an all out war cry, not against the Pests, as is their mandate but against public science, concerns of health and the ensuing public opinion that is growing against their products. In addition, at the receiving end of this tirade is a growing group of civil groups, public health experts and even farmers, whom the pesticide industry has seemingly been serving for more than half a century!
Please be aware all environmental activists, NGOs and Doctors that your concern for the growing debt marauded villages, or for the growing thousands of widows whose farmer husbands drank the very pesticides to save themselves from debt ( look at the irony – the same pesticides that "saved" them from pests in their crops), or for the millions of consumers, exposed to pesticides at poisoning levels ( for some pesticides even the smallest detectable levels are known to be poisonous ) causing ill-health of diverse and scattered nature, your concerns could after all be "anti-national" & "anti- farmer".
The Agrochemical Promotion Group has this new theory to put forward. And we have already heard something quite similar some where before. "Either you are with us (in this offensive against pests, which is incidentally making some of us multi-millionaires, while a few thousand farmers or a few million acres of farm lands could be poisoned) or you are against the country" –seems to be their loud thinking. Moreover, the Crop Care Federation of India, another of the pesticide vending cartels, believes that any talk on the ill effects of pesticides is going to drag India behind. They have it seems done some "Research" on this aspect!
Moreover, in their desperate, yet systematic build up of their poisoning industrial empires, they seem to have adopted some of the most emotive of claims. They are 'nationalists', 'progressive', and 'forward looking', 'farmer friendly In addition, according to the CCFI formerly known as Pesticides Association of India, the environmentalists are indulged in "an organized attempt to mislead people. As a result India might lapse into wheat importing country." Ironically, this year, India did import wheat inspite of surplus production and stock. May we ask the pesticide industry why even after fifty years of your crop protection the farmers themselves are not able to afford to buy what they produce? Why millions of farmers, a known 40% of them atleast are going to their beds with a hungry stomach, inspite of their production, and your crop protection. The reasons are there to see, if you have the heart to see them. While production has increased, and productivity doubled or tripled, the farmer has to spent more and more for the same, get more and more loans, for all the costly inputs you have formulated and developed for him, and in the end made him eat his own dust, while the agro-chemical cartels and promotion groups languish in lavish bunglows counting the profits, and devising methods to protect their pesticide products.
Ironically, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, whose decades were spent trying to convince and sell to countries the need for modern agriculture has off late seen better sense and is promoting IPM, Alternate methods of crop management and advocates minimal use of chemical pesticides. And infact, the Agro-Chemical promotion Group, itself by name is a violation of the "International Code of Conduct on the Use and Distribution of Pesticides" of the FAO, signed by all countries and stake groups including industries and environmental as well as public health organisations. We advice that the APG change their name, as they should not, as per the code, be seen as an organisation "Promoting" the agro-chemicals.
The irony is that even Chemical companies cannot openly promote their chemicals as a "safe", "non-toxic", "non-poisonous" etc, and they are bound to the code and have to advocate judicious use of these pesticides, as per need and only as per many state, national and international conditions, most of which are for protecting public health and the environment from damages.
Of late the Pesticide industry lobby has been levelling some hilarious allegations against environmental groups and anybody who finds evidence of their chemicals contaminating blood or food or the environment. In a statement to media on 14 February 2006 at Ahmedabad, one of the top officers of the Crop Care Federation of India stated that they had already initiated action against Maneka Gandhi and Kheti Virasat Mission for making false claims about ill effects of pesticides on human beings and environment. Now one would like to now what kind of actions these are ? And who are they to take actions against civil society who have been raising the concerns of the farmers and consumers of this country.
It seems that agro-chemical groups and pesticide industry is feeling threatened by environmental groups when they say, "Baseless allegations of environmentalists has seriously challenged interests of Rs.6000 crore pesticide industry in the country …. As a result we have decided to challenge all such false campaigns." Now, we have one of these groups taking on this challenge that we as civil society has posed to them. We were waiting for this. We have evidence that people exposed to pesticides are being poisoned – farmers and consumers, women and children and we have evidence – even official government statements and data that many of these pesticides are extremely hazardous and many even be carcinogenic and mutagenic. Now we want the APG and CCFI to prove that our concerns, backed by studies are "false campaigns".
There are number of reports that came out in recent past, which put pesticide industry in deep worry. After CSE's report on pesticides in colas, followed by their expose of pesticides in blood of Punjabis, then came the Greenpeace India's report on impact of pesticides on growth of children that has sharpened the debate. The PGIMER report on abnormally high incidents of cancer in Malwa region pointed the finger clearly on pesticides for the dance of death. The CSE's report on traces of pesticides in human blood in Bathinda district initiated the debate on health and environmental impacts of pesticides in media and larger civil society. A general feeling has grown that pesticides are creating havoc for man and nature. Mean while the campaign for No pesticide use by various organic farming groups has gained significant momentum and public support. Many of the modern farmers who had fallen to the pesticide trap in the last 5 decades, have now realised and come out of the trap and have even joined the organic movement.
In a letter to the author of this article, who is also the Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission, the Convener of Agro-Chemical Promotion Group (APG) Ninad Gupte states that "You are levelling many wild accusations and criticizing the use of pesticides and have made several statements which are patently false, derogatory and misplaced". The letter further accused that, our perceptions are wrong; they have no basis of substance and reflect an unfortunate ignorance about the use and purpose of pesticides in agriculture. According to APG, the KVM is not only confusing the farmers, but are also spreading canards, which are not acceptable to the pesticide industry.
Mr.Ninad Gupte has even gone to the extreme extent by saying "You are yourself an educated person, and surely would not like to indulge in anti national and anti farmer policies of damaging Indian agriculture". Further, he "strongly advised to either submit evidence that pesticides indeed do adversely affect health/cause cancer at the levels they are found in traces or withdraw your damaging anti-pesticide campaign"
We request Ninad Gupte to read Para 3.9 of the International Code of Conduct on pesticide Use and Distribution. It reads " Governments, with the support of relevant international and regional organizations, should encourage and promote research on, and the development of, alternatives posing fewer risks: biological control agents and techniques, non-chemical pesticides and pesticides that are, as far as possible or desirable, target-specific, that degrade into innocuous constituent parts or metabolites after use and are of low risk to humans and the environment. " So your pesticides are a recognised risk – globally and nationally. And we are all bound to see that we should reduce the risk. And when as a civil society we see that this is an unnecessary risk and there is availability of alternatives and better, cheaper and sustainable methods, how does it become wrong to ask for the stopping of the use of chemical pesticides. And according to your new found hilarious argument, would you say that Government of India is "anti-national" when they advocate IPM or safer alternatives instead of chemical pesticides !
The frustration of the industry is understandable, but their actions are making a joke of their industry. In his talk with media persons over phone Mr Salil Singhal, Chairman of the "illegally" formed ( as per the FAO Code) APG again shows his anger on KVM, Greenpeace and others for their safe food campaign. According to him, an activity to 'mislead' farmers on pesticide use is as equal as anti-national activities. He even dared to show his intentions and declared that he would teach KVM and others a lesson.
Following this, the Crop Care Federation of India had sent a legal notice to KVM asking for unconditional apology in writing for commenting on health impacts of pesticides. The CCFI notice claimed that, they have invested huge amount of capital and generated employment and have also earned valuable foreign exchange for nation. We feel that all these claims will look tall and impressive, if it is not read with the ecological and health damage caused in the process. The notice further says that the CCFI members, (read pesticide manufacturers), "supplies quality pesticides to the farmers in various parts of the country and world over without which not only crop yield would have been reduced but also crops would have been destroyed." More than 100 questions have been asked about pesticides in the Lok Sabha just about pesticides, spurious, banned, illegal and about their impacts. And most of the time, the Government categorically declares that they are recommending IPM and also minimising use of pesticides" Here are a sample of a few such answers
"The Government of India is implementing a Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC) for increasing the production and productivity of the cotton crop. The TMC includes grants-in-aid for establishment of biological control laboratories for minimizing the use of chemical pesticides and training of farmers in Integrated Pest Management. Insecticides Resistance Management strategies are also being promoted under this programme to complement the efforts of Integrated Pest Management approach"
"The Government has already conceded to a question in the parliament on pesticide residues that "In general, pesticide residues are not desirable in agricultural produce." However, as cured leaf of tobacco is not a food item, maximum tolerance limit of pesticide residues for the same has not been prescribed under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1955."
"… Government is advocating `Integrated Nutrient Management` (INM) by promoting soil test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers in conjunction with organic manures, bio-fertilizers, etc. and also Integrated Pest Management (IPM) providing mechanical, biological control methods and need based use of pesticides, Government is also advocating organic farming by using organic inputs for plant nutrients."
"The Registration Committee, constituted under the Act, registers pesticides for use in the country only after satisfying itself regarding their efficacy and safety to human beings and animals. In keeping with the above objectives, it has been decided not to register Class Ia or Ib pesticides without sufficient justification, even though Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Code of Conduct does not debar the use of Class Ia, Class Ib and Class II pesticides."
CAN THE APG AND CCFI TELL US WHY THIS PRECAUTION ? WHY THE REGISTRATION ? WHY YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ALL THE TROUBLE OF TESTING AND TOXICITY STUDIES ETC ?
BECAUSE BASICALLY YOUR PRODUCTS ARE POSIONS AND THEY NEED TO BE REGULATED.
And now, we have a spate of studies that show that this regulations has miserably failed in the country. The Endosulfan Spray issue in Kasaragod, Kerala has shown that all precautionary and safety systems are a eye-wash in the country. And following the medical evidence produced by a detailed epidemiological study by the NIOH, the jittery industry and the government arm-twisted the system to keep the pesticide in the market. The results are funny. "Endosulfan is banned in Kerala, but can be used in all the other states". The message is clear – If you want it banned in Punjab, then prove that Punjabis can also be poisoned or may die out of endosulfan !! Never in history has agriculture scientists, officials and the industry ever distorted science to this blatant extent. Shamefully blatant.
And the same history of violation, the same drama is being enacted in Punjab – the hot bed of farming crisis. While the APG and CCFI is challenging the people, let us have a look at the ground in Punjab.
The entire eco-system of Punjab , that sustained farming and was the food basket of India has literally collapsed. There are several health impacts quite visible in Punjab . The economy of Punjab is in great stress due to intensive chemicalization of agriculture, and its unchecked modernisation. The pesticide companies have earned corers of rupees from Punjab alone, while the farmers are committing suicides. Even the government has conceded the suicide data - 2116 numbers. Do the APG and CCFI have any idea how these widows are surviving now? How their children are being educated ?
And the irony is that most of the victims are farmers, not business men, not a single pesticide dealer, stockiest and manufacturer suffer from chemicalized agriculture. Farmers lost their farms , their houses are mortgaged but pesticide industry has grown up. Their profits are rising high.
Now studies show that pesticide have nothing to do with yield, productivity and food security. This myth has been broken, and any such claims are only to satisfy their egoes – after all they need a public ( national ) reason to make profits, especially when the product itself is just poisons. And in fact the use of pesticides have only increased the number of pests ( look at the state of pesticide sprayed cotton fields).
At the same time there are several success models of NO PESTICIDE FARMING in India and abroad. And many of such experiments are in Cotton and Grains, the two most pesticide sprayed crops in the country.
It is also well-established that cancers and pesticides are linked and that certain types of cancer are related to pesticides more than other factors. The higher incidence of pesticides-related cancers [within various types of cancers] in the Malwa belt cannot be denied either.
Punjab has always been a state that showed the way forward for the country in the field of agriculture. Our people are supposed to be the healthiest in the nation. But today Punjab is a mauled figure. Its people are getting less and less healthy. Its farmers are getting more and more depressed, indebted and disillusioned with agriculture. Our pride – our farms and our strength (bodily and economically) has been compromised and we have become weak. Look at our off springs – and look at how unhealthy they are ? Our farming – natural and organic as it used to be half a century back - is now fully chemical and pesticide (poison)driven. More than 50% of our cost of cultivation in most crops goes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Today Punjab , just one small state in terms of its agricultural area 1.5 % of total geographical area and near 2.5% of total agriculture land of India , consumes more than 18 % of the total pesticides used in the country. We believe this is a shame and speaks very badly of our agriculture research and extension work as well as our farming community – that so much of poisons should be used to produce our food and crops. It's a shame especially in a new brave world where more and more countries, farmers and consumers are moving the organic way and becoming conscious of the safety of the food they eat and the water they drink. Punjab still continues to consume so much of poisons in the name of an old and now derelict method of crop protection – by using pesticides.
Though banned about two decades in many countries and banned and restricted in India too later, many of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are found in blood samples even today, all over the world. According to PGIMER study, the blood samples that they studied contain the residues of POPs like Heptachlor, DDT, Aldrin and other extremely toxic pesticides like Chlorpyriphos, Ethion and Endosulfan. The Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) also found six to thirteen pesticides in virtually all blood samples. Some of them were POPs as: HCH, Aldrin and DDT. They also found Monocrotophos, Endosulfan, Phosphamidon, Chlorpyrifos and Malathion, all of which are used in high volumes in Punjab .
POPs are banned in a majority of countries in the world. They are to be eliminated from use all over the world through the Stockholm Convention (2002), of which India is also a signatory. POPs are known Endocrine disrupters and the main reason behind neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive disorders, testicular cancer, and congenital malformations. Even motherhood is challenged by POPs through foetotoxicity. Many of the POPs are also classified as carcinogens, mutagens and even teratogens.
POPs do not degrade for decades and cause toxicity for a very a long time. Most of these POPs have a half-life period of 10 years and more. There are several reports available regarding contamination of each food crop in Punjab.
The World has changed a lot in the last 50 years(ref1). When DDT was discovered and used widely, the world thought that this was a wonder chemical. Today it is a recognised POPs and countries have banned it, and in a few years it will be phased out of the earth. We strongly believe that inspite of the tirade unleashed by the Pesticide Industry, their lives are also not more than that, and very soon, the APG and CCFI will be forgotten names in history. Because mankind have always struggled to get out of this unsafe existence into a safer and more comfortable world.
We believe that in the wider interest of the farmers, consumers and the humanity as a whole, the APG and the CCFI and all the other cartels selling pesticides should stop this illegal promotional activity and their tirade against the civil society. They should stop selling their poisons. We invite all members of APG and CCFI to visit Punjab with us and find the reality – the reality that bites. They could see the writing on wall if they want.
Please live and let live the life and nature in Punjab
Ref1
The following are the various international instruments used to regulate pesticides and manage crops safely.
The Codex Alimentarius, and more specifically the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, operational since 1966 (41);
· The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer , adopted in 1987 and entered into force in 1989, and its subsequent amendments (42);
· The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal , adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1992 (39);
· The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade , adopted in 1998 (1);
· The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in 2001 (43).B. International policy instruments that provide a general policy context for pesticide management
· The Convention concerning Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work, adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 1993 (44);
· The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development , proclaimed by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (45);
· Agenda 21 – Global Programme of Action on Sustainable Development, and more specifically chapters 14 ( Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development ) and 19 ( Environmentally Sound Management of Toxic Chemicals, Including Prevention of Illegal International Traffic in Toxic and Dangerous Products ), adopted in 1992 (46);
· The Convention on Biological Diversity , adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1993 (47);
· The Convention concerning the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents , adopted in 1993 and entered into force in 1997 (48);
· The Rome Declaration on World Food Security and The World Food Summit Plan of Action , adopted in 1996 (49);
· The World Health Declaration and Health-for-all in the 21 st Century , adopted in 1998 (50).
Pesticide poisoning in rural Punjab
PESTICIDE SPRAY PROVES DISASTROUS IN
SALKIANA VILLAGE of JALANDHAR
A Report of a Fact Finding Visit by Kheti Virasat Mission
By Umendra Dutt
21st July 2006
21 July 2006 began as any other day for the residents of Salkiana village in Jalandhar district. That was until around 8.30 am - until they started feeling severe suffocation and breathlessness. The worst affected were the school children of the Government-run Elementary School. It was just after Morning Prayers that the students started complaining of a strange smell and breathlessness. The teachers were not aware of what happened either. Suddenly one student fell unconscious near the hand pump [of the drinking water tube well] and then student after student started to faint. Within ten minutes, 16 students fainted after inhaling something that was toxic.
It was not just the school children who were affected. The villagers outside the school were also experiencing and complaining about breathlessness by then. Some women in the adjoining houses are reported to have fainted too.
There was total panic in the village for a while. It was only then the villagers began to realize what happened – IT WAS A DEADLY PESTICIDE SPRAYED IN A NEARBY SUGARCANE FIELD THAT HAD AFFECTED THE VILLAGERS. The villagers then understood that they were experiencing acute poisoning symptoms.
Meanwhile the farm workers, who had sprayed this pesticide, came into the village and disclosed that they had sprayed PHORATE. In this case, it was Sudarshan Chemicals’ SUTOX 100 that they had sprayed. The workers had sprayed 15 kilos of Phorate 10G in 3.75 acres by then.
In the school, the situation had become quite serious by then and the teachers started experiencing breathlessness too. Students started complaining of difficulty in breathing, severe headache, body ache, irritation in eyes, uneasiness, dizziness and some of them started vomiting.
The teachers acted very swiftly and informed the higher authorities and the local health officer. Within half an hour, a team of doctors reached the school and first-aid was administered. The affected students and teachers were shifted to Civil Hospital, Phillour [the nearest town]. However, some parents took their children to private hospitals also. Some children with severe breathlessness were administered oxygen.
Fact Finding Visit:
Following this incident, Kheti Virasat Mission made a fact-finding visit on 26th and 28th July to this village. The teachers, the students, the other affected villagers, the sarpanch and other farmers were interviewed as part of the fact finding visit. In addition, the FFT [fact finding team] spoke with the doctors in the Civil Hospital and met with the SDM, Phillour.
This report tries to give a picture of the situation based on all the information gathered from these interviews and discussions.
According to the doctors at civil hospital, patients were admitted with following signs and symptoms [somewhat varying between patients]:
1. Excessive Lacrimation
2. Excessive Salivation
3. Dizziness
4. Nausea & Vomiting
5. Breathlessness
6. Body aches and cramps
These patients were given first-aid there and then in the village and later referred to Civil Hospital, Phillaur. Patients were given-
1. I/V fluids
2. Rangers Lactato
3. DNS
4. And 5% Dextrose
-Inj.Atropine I/M & I/V slow in cloop
-Inj. Aciloc sos
-Inj.Ettacarlin
-Inj. PAM
-Inj.Neomolsos
-O* 2* Inhalation
The list of patients admitted to the Civil Hospital in Phillaur, following this poisoning incident:
1. Parwinder 13 yrs M
2. Jasbir Kaur 40 yrs F
3. Jeeto 50 yrs F
4. Sonia 13 yrs F
5. Dalwinder 15 yrs F
6. Gurdeep Singh 13 yrs M
7. Reena Kumari 13 yrs F
8. Manjit 9 yrs M
9. Kamla Devi 25 yrs F
10. Naresh Kumari 13 yrs F
11. Manjit Kaur 30 yrs F
12. Navneet Kaur 13 yrs F
13. Raman Deep 12 yrs M
14. Amarjeet Kaur 22 yrs F
15. Dalbiro 40 yrs F
16. Suman 18 yrs F
17. Sukhdev 15 yrs M
18. Bhagwan Dass 52 yrs M
Total: 18 persons. One adult male, seven adult females, 5 male children and 5 female children.
All these patients were in the hospital for three days. Two others patients Suman (18 year old young girl) and Sunita (14 year old girl) were admitted in a private nursing home at Phillaur. Sunita, a newly-married girl inhaled the toxic fumes when she had gone near the fields the next day. Her condition deteriorated soon after and she was taken to the Civil Hospital. She was then referred to a hospital in Ludhiana as her condition was found to be critical. Her family members got her admitted in to Arora Hospital. She was here for four days. These are the 21 cases of hospitalization from the inhalation poisoning from the phorate spraying.
At the time of the fact finding visit, some of the students and teachers were still unwell, even after six days. They had irritation in eyes upto six days, itching of the skin and general uneasiness. The teacher in the government school Mr Bhagwan Dass was complaining of disturbance in his digestive system. He is suffering from constipation and urinary problem. Same were the complaints from Hardev Singh M 38 and Ms Asha Sharma F 34, both teachers at the government school. Bakshish Chand, 37, who is also the ex-sarpanch of the village, had similar complaints.
All children and adults, exposed to PHORATE, were experiencing loss of appetite even on sixth day after exposure. Most of the children poisoned were from SC community with low incomes.
After this incident, there is widespread resentment and concern amongst the villagers regarding pesticides. They are quite worried about safety from pesticides. The elders at village feel that there should at least be restrictions followed about spraying away from the village that too from schools etc.
Mr Ram Kishan, Harjeet Ram and Ram Swarup (all members of the Panchayat) and other villagers were of the strong view that some concrete steps should be taken to prevent such mishaps in future.
The Doctors who worked tirelessly at Civil Hospital, Phillaur were admitting their limitations in dealing with a case like this, given that none of them is a trained environmental epidemiologist.
About Phorate:
Phorate is a Class IA pesticide – which means that by World Health Organisation’s classification, it is “Extremely Hazardous”. Phorate 10% G falls under Class IB. The Food & Agriculture Organisation recommends that products that fall under Class IA and Class I B [Extremely Hazardous and Highly Hazardous] should not be used in developing countries given a variety of safety concerns related to these products.
Phorate poisoning in India
Phorate is an organo-phosphorus pesticide implicated in several poisoning cases earlier. For instance, in June 2001, phorate was implicated in poisoning of workers in a tea estate and in a cardamom plantation in Kerala[1]. A 16 year old boy, Kannan, died applying phorate on June 26th in a cardamom plantation. On the tea estate in Idukki district, on the same day, 41 people in all got affected. They all experienced acute poisoning symptoms of blurred vision, vomiting and dizziness.
Mancini et al report in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2005 that acute pesticide poisoning from Organophosphorous pesticides like phorate was quite common, especially amongst low-income marginal farmers in cotton growing belts of South India.
There are reports that indicate that upon ingestion of organo phosphate pesticides like phorate and monocrotophos, there is also the danger of Organo Phosphate Induced Delayed Neuropathy, which appears 2-4 weeks after poisoning and leads to motor paralysis [affecting the distal muscles of limbs, minimal sensory involvement, and calf pain, which precedes its onset].
Acute poisoning due to phorate intoxication was reported from Tamluk in West Bengal in the Journal of Indian Pediatrics in 2002. Here, the affected were mainly toddlers.
Significant amongst all the published studies is a report by Kashyap [1986] which reported that “Exposure of 40 formulators to a highly toxic OP insecticide (phorate) showed that over 60% of the workers suffered from toxic effects in spite of using a complete set of protective clothing”[2].
In Wayanad district of Kerala, in July 2002, children exposed to phorate fumes sprayed on banana plantations had to be admitted to hospitals. These children had experienced vomiting, dizziness and headaches.
According to the first information report available with Thanal, on July 10, 2002, children arriving at the Kottathara upper primary school complained of an unbearable stench, obviously from the banana fields where workers were busy applying a mixture of fertilizer and pesticide (Phorate 10%) to the soil before planting the banana rhizomes. As the day progressed, and aided by the breeze, the smell became worse and the children started complaining of severe headache and dizziness. Meanwhile, efforts by the school authorities to stop the workers from continuing using more pesticide were met with a firm refusal. The situation soon began to get out of hand as children began fainting; gram panchayat officials were contacted for jeeps to help carry the students to hospital. On July 17, the children were back in hospital with similar complaints. Doctors confirmed that the symptoms were of acute toxic exposure.
As per a study published in Economic & Political Weekly, December 2004, based on field investigations in high pesticide consumption districts in four states of India, phorate was implicated in creating adverse health effects amongst respondents.
Ch. Srinivas Rao et al reported in the Journal of Tropical Medicine & International Health [Vol. 10, No. 6, June 2005] about acute pesticide poisoning in South India[3]. In this paper, the authors report that Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh alone records more than 1000 pesticide poisoning cases each year and hundreds of deaths. They report that in the district government hospital, between 1997 and 2002, 8040 patients were admitted to the hospital with pesticide poisoning. In 2002, there were 21 cases of poisonings due to phorate, including 4 deaths.
About Class I pesticides in India
It is estimated that 2 to 5 million people every year suffer acute poisonings all over the world and that around 40,000 people die. These are very conservative estimates and these poisonings occur mostly in the developing world, caused mainly due to OP pesticides. Many of these are Class IA and Class IB pesticides. In India, despite the fact that FAO has recommended the non-usage of Class IA and IB pesticides, a number of these products continue to be used.
It is only from July 1st 2006, after many long years of activist struggles with the company that Bayer, a market leader in pesticides in India, had stopped marketing many of its deadliest pesticides including its Class I products. In earlier studies done by groups like Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, many such products were implicated in acute poisoning hospitalizations and deaths[4].
It is also interesting to note that even though the Central Insecticides Board is currently reviewing several pesticides that have been banned in other countries for their continued use in India, Phorate, Hinosan, Oxydemeton-Methyl, Methyl Parathion etc., are not amongst them!
Given the wide extent of acute poisoning and the related socio-economic problems, we strongly demand the following:
To the government:
- Immediately ban aggressive marketing of pesticides and all type of agro-chemicals including all forms of advertisements and publicity of pesticides along with all incentives given to pesticide dealers’ network.
- Punjab Government should take –up a proactive campaign on ill effects of pesticides.
- acknowledge the threat and that the problem of serious health effects with pesticides exists
- assess the extent of the problem with various adverse health effects of pesticides
- raise awareness about the dangers through well-financed education campaigns
- ensure the dissemination of information on ill effects of pesticides to all users
- fix liability and get compensation to be paid for medical care and economic rehabilitation for all victims – get the industry to pay up; if not, the government to pay
To the Union of India:
- ban all class I a, I b and II pesticides
- modify pesticide risk assessment procedures – bring in the precautionary principle
- promote better and safer agricultural practices including NPM approach and organic farming
- curb aggressive marketing by pesticide industry
To the health sector:
- train and equip health sector staff and infrastructure to identify and deal with such cases
- set up systems for regular and proper monitoring
- Government should fill posts of District Epidemiologist in all districts on priority basis.
- Citizens committee on epidemiological surveillance shall formed under District Epidemiologists to ensure community participation in mitigation and crisis management process
To the Industry:
- pay compensation to all the persons affected
- pro-actively withdraw all Class I and Class II products from the market
- stop aggressive marketing
PUNJAB AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY [PAU]
1. Ample funding should be provided to Punjab Agriculture University to ensure adequate education, research and extension on organic farming
2. Policy formulation as well as agriculture recommendations should be such that they are evolved from the original experiences of organic farmers. PAU should draw from such experiences and not just research in agriculture research station campuses
3. Crops that are suitable to the local natural eco-systems should be promoted and research should be taken up on this basis
For details please contact:
Umendra Dutt
Executive Director
KHETI VIRASAT MISSION
Street-5, Hardayal Nagar,
JAITU-151202
District-Faridkot, Punjab
Phones: 01635-503415
09872682161
[1] “Phorate Poisoning of Children and Women in Idukki district of Kerala”, Thanal, Trivandrum, July 2001
[2] “Health surveillance and biological monitoring of pesticide formulators in India”, S K Kashyap, Toxicol Lett. 1986 Oct;33(1-3):107-14
[3] “Pesticide poisoning in south India: opportunities for prevention and improved medical management”, Ch Srinivas Rao et al, Tropical medicine & International health, Volume 10, No. 6, June 2005
[4] “Killing & Poisoning Pests or Human Beings? – acute poisoning of pesticide users through pesticide exposure/inhalation”, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture & MARI, 2005
PESTICIDE SPRAY PROVES DISASTROUS IN
SALKIANA VILLAGE of JALANDHAR
A Report of a Fact Finding Visit by Kheti Virasat Mission
By Umendra Dutt
21st July 2006
21 July 2006 began as any other day for the residents of Salkiana village in Jalandhar district. That was until around 8.30 am - until they started feeling severe suffocation and breathlessness. The worst affected were the school children of the Government-run Elementary School. It was just after Morning Prayers that the students started complaining of a strange smell and breathlessness. The teachers were not aware of what happened either. Suddenly one student fell unconscious near the hand pump [of the drinking water tube well] and then student after student started to faint. Within ten minutes, 16 students fainted after inhaling something that was toxic.
It was not just the school children who were affected. The villagers outside the school were also experiencing and complaining about breathlessness by then. Some women in the adjoining houses are reported to have fainted too.
There was total panic in the village for a while. It was only then the villagers began to realize what happened – IT WAS A DEADLY PESTICIDE SPRAYED IN A NEARBY SUGARCANE FIELD THAT HAD AFFECTED THE VILLAGERS. The villagers then understood that they were experiencing acute poisoning symptoms.
Meanwhile the farm workers, who had sprayed this pesticide, came into the village and disclosed that they had sprayed PHORATE. In this case, it was Sudarshan Chemicals’ SUTOX 100 that they had sprayed. The workers had sprayed 15 kilos of Phorate 10G in 3.75 acres by then.
In the school, the situation had become quite serious by then and the teachers started experiencing breathlessness too. Students started complaining of difficulty in breathing, severe headache, body ache, irritation in eyes, uneasiness, dizziness and some of them started vomiting.
The teachers acted very swiftly and informed the higher authorities and the local health officer. Within half an hour, a team of doctors reached the school and first-aid was administered. The affected students and teachers were shifted to Civil Hospital, Phillour [the nearest town]. However, some parents took their children to private hospitals also. Some children with severe breathlessness were administered oxygen.
Fact Finding Visit:
Following this incident, Kheti Virasat Mission made a fact-finding visit on 26th and 28th July to this village. The teachers, the students, the other affected villagers, the sarpanch and other farmers were interviewed as part of the fact finding visit. In addition, the FFT [fact finding team] spoke with the doctors in the Civil Hospital and met with the SDM, Phillour.
This report tries to give a picture of the situation based on all the information gathered from these interviews and discussions.
According to the doctors at civil hospital, patients were admitted with following signs and symptoms [somewhat varying between patients]:
1. Excessive Lacrimation
2. Excessive Salivation
3. Dizziness
4. Nausea & Vomiting
5. Breathlessness
6. Body aches and cramps
These patients were given first-aid there and then in the village and later referred to Civil Hospital, Phillaur. Patients were given-
1. I/V fluids
2. Rangers Lactato
3. DNS
4. And 5% Dextrose
-Inj.Atropine I/M & I/V slow in cloop
-Inj. Aciloc sos
-Inj.Ettacarlin
-Inj. PAM
-Inj.Neomolsos
-O* 2* Inhalation
The list of patients admitted to the Civil Hospital in Phillaur, following this poisoning incident:
1. Parwinder 13 yrs M
2. Jasbir Kaur 40 yrs F
3. Jeeto 50 yrs F
4. Sonia 13 yrs F
5. Dalwinder 15 yrs F
6. Gurdeep Singh 13 yrs M
7. Reena Kumari 13 yrs F
8. Manjit 9 yrs M
9. Kamla Devi 25 yrs F
10. Naresh Kumari 13 yrs F
11. Manjit Kaur 30 yrs F
12. Navneet Kaur 13 yrs F
13. Raman Deep 12 yrs M
14. Amarjeet Kaur 22 yrs F
15. Dalbiro 40 yrs F
16. Suman 18 yrs F
17. Sukhdev 15 yrs M
18. Bhagwan Dass 52 yrs M
Total: 18 persons. One adult male, seven adult females, 5 male children and 5 female children.
All these patients were in the hospital for three days. Two others patients Suman (18 year old young girl) and Sunita (14 year old girl) were admitted in a private nursing home at Phillaur. Sunita, a newly-married girl inhaled the toxic fumes when she had gone near the fields the next day. Her condition deteriorated soon after and she was taken to the Civil Hospital. She was then referred to a hospital in Ludhiana as her condition was found to be critical. Her family members got her admitted in to Arora Hospital. She was here for four days. These are the 21 cases of hospitalization from the inhalation poisoning from the phorate spraying.
At the time of the fact finding visit, some of the students and teachers were still unwell, even after six days. They had irritation in eyes upto six days, itching of the skin and general uneasiness. The teacher in the government school Mr Bhagwan Dass was complaining of disturbance in his digestive system. He is suffering from constipation and urinary problem. Same were the complaints from Hardev Singh M 38 and Ms Asha Sharma F 34, both teachers at the government school. Bakshish Chand, 37, who is also the ex-sarpanch of the village, had similar complaints.
All children and adults, exposed to PHORATE, were experiencing loss of appetite even on sixth day after exposure. Most of the children poisoned were from SC community with low incomes.
After this incident, there is widespread resentment and concern amongst the villagers regarding pesticides. They are quite worried about safety from pesticides. The elders at village feel that there should at least be restrictions followed about spraying away from the village that too from schools etc.
Mr Ram Kishan, Harjeet Ram and Ram Swarup (all members of the Panchayat) and other villagers were of the strong view that some concrete steps should be taken to prevent such mishaps in future.
The Doctors who worked tirelessly at Civil Hospital, Phillaur were admitting their limitations in dealing with a case like this, given that none of them is a trained environmental epidemiologist.
About Phorate:
Phorate is a Class IA pesticide – which means that by World Health Organisation’s classification, it is “Extremely Hazardous”. Phorate 10% G falls under Class IB. The Food & Agriculture Organisation recommends that products that fall under Class IA and Class I B [Extremely Hazardous and Highly Hazardous] should not be used in developing countries given a variety of safety concerns related to these products.
Phorate poisoning in India
Phorate is an organo-phosphorus pesticide implicated in several poisoning cases earlier. For instance, in June 2001, phorate was implicated in poisoning of workers in a tea estate and in a cardamom plantation in Kerala[1]. A 16 year old boy, Kannan, died applying phorate on June 26th in a cardamom plantation. On the tea estate in Idukki district, on the same day, 41 people in all got affected. They all experienced acute poisoning symptoms of blurred vision, vomiting and dizziness.
Mancini et al report in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2005 that acute pesticide poisoning from Organophosphorous pesticides like phorate was quite common, especially amongst low-income marginal farmers in cotton growing belts of South India.
There are reports that indicate that upon ingestion of organo phosphate pesticides like phorate and monocrotophos, there is also the danger of Organo Phosphate Induced Delayed Neuropathy, which appears 2-4 weeks after poisoning and leads to motor paralysis [affecting the distal muscles of limbs, minimal sensory involvement, and calf pain, which precedes its onset].
Acute poisoning due to phorate intoxication was reported from Tamluk in West Bengal in the Journal of Indian Pediatrics in 2002. Here, the affected were mainly toddlers.
Significant amongst all the published studies is a report by Kashyap [1986] which reported that “Exposure of 40 formulators to a highly toxic OP insecticide (phorate) showed that over 60% of the workers suffered from toxic effects in spite of using a complete set of protective clothing”[2].
In Wayanad district of Kerala, in July 2002, children exposed to phorate fumes sprayed on banana plantations had to be admitted to hospitals. These children had experienced vomiting, dizziness and headaches.
According to the first information report available with Thanal, on July 10, 2002, children arriving at the Kottathara upper primary school complained of an unbearable stench, obviously from the banana fields where workers were busy applying a mixture of fertilizer and pesticide (Phorate 10%) to the soil before planting the banana rhizomes. As the day progressed, and aided by the breeze, the smell became worse and the children started complaining of severe headache and dizziness. Meanwhile, efforts by the school authorities to stop the workers from continuing using more pesticide were met with a firm refusal. The situation soon began to get out of hand as children began fainting; gram panchayat officials were contacted for jeeps to help carry the students to hospital. On July 17, the children were back in hospital with similar complaints. Doctors confirmed that the symptoms were of acute toxic exposure.
As per a study published in Economic & Political Weekly, December 2004, based on field investigations in high pesticide consumption districts in four states of India, phorate was implicated in creating adverse health effects amongst respondents.
Ch. Srinivas Rao et al reported in the Journal of Tropical Medicine & International Health [Vol. 10, No. 6, June 2005] about acute pesticide poisoning in South India[3]. In this paper, the authors report that Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh alone records more than 1000 pesticide poisoning cases each year and hundreds of deaths. They report that in the district government hospital, between 1997 and 2002, 8040 patients were admitted to the hospital with pesticide poisoning. In 2002, there were 21 cases of poisonings due to phorate, including 4 deaths.
About Class I pesticides in India
It is estimated that 2 to 5 million people every year suffer acute poisonings all over the world and that around 40,000 people die. These are very conservative estimates and these poisonings occur mostly in the developing world, caused mainly due to OP pesticides. Many of these are Class IA and Class IB pesticides. In India, despite the fact that FAO has recommended the non-usage of Class IA and IB pesticides, a number of these products continue to be used.
It is only from July 1st 2006, after many long years of activist struggles with the company that Bayer, a market leader in pesticides in India, had stopped marketing many of its deadliest pesticides including its Class I products. In earlier studies done by groups like Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, many such products were implicated in acute poisoning hospitalizations and deaths[4].
It is also interesting to note that even though the Central Insecticides Board is currently reviewing several pesticides that have been banned in other countries for their continued use in India, Phorate, Hinosan, Oxydemeton-Methyl, Methyl Parathion etc., are not amongst them!
Given the wide extent of acute poisoning and the related socio-economic problems, we strongly demand the following:
To the government:
- Immediately ban aggressive marketing of pesticides and all type of agro-chemicals including all forms of advertisements and publicity of pesticides along with all incentives given to pesticide dealers’ network.
- Punjab Government should take –up a proactive campaign on ill effects of pesticides.
- acknowledge the threat and that the problem of serious health effects with pesticides exists
- assess the extent of the problem with various adverse health effects of pesticides
- raise awareness about the dangers through well-financed education campaigns
- ensure the dissemination of information on ill effects of pesticides to all users
- fix liability and get compensation to be paid for medical care and economic rehabilitation for all victims – get the industry to pay up; if not, the government to pay
To the Union of India:
- ban all class I a, I b and II pesticides
- modify pesticide risk assessment procedures – bring in the precautionary principle
- promote better and safer agricultural practices including NPM approach and organic farming
- curb aggressive marketing by pesticide industry
To the health sector:
- train and equip health sector staff and infrastructure to identify and deal with such cases
- set up systems for regular and proper monitoring
- Government should fill posts of District Epidemiologist in all districts on priority basis.
- Citizens committee on epidemiological surveillance shall formed under District Epidemiologists to ensure community participation in mitigation and crisis management process
To the Industry:
- pay compensation to all the persons affected
- pro-actively withdraw all Class I and Class II products from the market
- stop aggressive marketing
PUNJAB AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY [PAU]
1. Ample funding should be provided to Punjab Agriculture University to ensure adequate education, research and extension on organic farming
2. Policy formulation as well as agriculture recommendations should be such that they are evolved from the original experiences of organic farmers. PAU should draw from such experiences and not just research in agriculture research station campuses
3. Crops that are suitable to the local natural eco-systems should be promoted and research should be taken up on this basis
For details please contact:
Umendra Dutt
Executive Director
KHETI VIRASAT MISSION
Street-5, Hardayal Nagar,
JAITU-151202
District-Faridkot, Punjab
Phones: 01635-503415
09872682161
[1] “Phorate Poisoning of Children and Women in Idukki district of Kerala”, Thanal, Trivandrum, July 2001
[2] “Health surveillance and biological monitoring of pesticide formulators in India”, S K Kashyap, Toxicol Lett. 1986 Oct;33(1-3):107-14
[3] “Pesticide poisoning in south India: opportunities for prevention and improved medical management”, Ch Srinivas Rao et al, Tropical medicine & International health, Volume 10, No. 6, June 2005
[4] “Killing & Poisoning Pests or Human Beings? – acute poisoning of pesticide users through pesticide exposure/inhalation”, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture & MARI, 2005
An Open Letter to the Pesticide Industry
and
its Associations like Agro-Chemical Promotion Group [APG],
Crop Care Federation of India,
Centre for Environment & Agro-Chemicals etc.
It is a well-established fact that farming can be done without pesticides and thousands of farmers are indeed doing so all over India, across all crops. It is also a well-known fact that pesticides are poisons that can harm living organisms and are related to many illnesses and other negative impacts due to direct and indirect exposure to such toxic chemicals. It is not just the people’s organizations, movements and NGOs that recognize this reality but farmers and affected communities themselves, academia including agriculture scientists and medical scientists in addition to national and international agencies working on the issue [including UN bodies].
There is widespread recognition of the need to give up pesticides and there are many different efforts being taken up for promoting non-chemical alternatives. Sales are reportedly decreasing and the markets shrinking for the industry. There is also a review process underway of looking at the possible ban of at least 37 pesticides in India, which have been banned elsewhere on various grounds. The pesticides industry seems to be driven into a very desperate position to revive and expand its markets and to paint a good picture of itself. That desperation reflects itself in the many unacceptable tactics employed by the industry and its associations against the civil society groups discussing the issue of pesticides and environmental health.
It is ridiculous that the pesticide industry should choose to stifle, through what could only be termed as goonda, threatening tactics, a healthy, independent and comprehensive discussion on the need for pesticides, the risks associated compared to any benefits, their relation with the current situation in agriculture and health being witnessed in many locations, the issue of liability and redressal and so on.
In the past three-four years, the pesticides industry and its associations have sent many legal notices to organizations in India such as Community Health Cell, Bangalore; Toxics Link, New Delhi; Greenpeace India, Bangalore; Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi; Kheti Virasat Mission, Faridkot district etc. These legal notices received responses from the various organizations. In spite of having received responses, the pesticides industry is using the tactic of choosing to go around the country through Crop Life India, holding press conferences and threatening NGOs of legal action through the media.
While that is one tactic being used, another tactic is not of a legal notice, but an outright threatening letter. These “Public apology, Or Else”/“withdraw, or else” letters are being sent straight by the industry’s associations like APG and CEAC to certain grassroots organizations. There are also instances of letters of ‘reasoning out’ being sent to some groups and individuals by industry’s associations like APG [“All concerned need to join hands…for safe and judicious use of agri-inputs”, “assess the issue objectively” and so on].
What is particularly offensive is the recent spate of letters received by organizations like Kheti Virasat Mission, Punjab and all the speakers who have been invited to a meeting on Pesticides, Cancer and Reproductive Health on May 6th 2006 in Chandigarh. Each expert, eminent speaker to the meeting has been sent a legal notice by the industry’s associations. Worse, one of the speakers of an international agency even received an anonymous threatening phone call warning the speaker against participating in the meeting on the 6th. All these letters to the speakers warn them that they will be ‘dragged into litigation’ if they take part in the meeting – this is the industry’s unacceptable interference in the basic fundamental right of expression that these speakers/organizations have. It is worth noting that the meeting will be held as per plan and the organizers and speakers refused to be cowed down by such threats.
It should also be noted that the industry never had a problem with its own aggressive, incentive-based propaganda for marketing its products. The pesticide companies were happy when their sales were being increased by the distribution and dealer network that actively encouraged farmers to resort to indiscriminate use and often gave wrong and dangerous information. However when it is time for an informed debate with the best scientists, sociologists and friends of farmers on the issue of pesticides and their need, that the industry would like everyone to be “objective”.
Through this open letter, we would like the pesticides industry to clearly recognize the following facts:
organizations like Kheti Virasat Mission are not alone in their studies, findings, views and experiences related to pesticides. There are many scientifically accepted studies which show the negative impacts of pesticides in many different ways, by experts in various fields and not just civil society groups
even governments are recommending the ban of pesticides on many grounds, including health grounds
we are all against the use of pesticides in our agriculture and food and we believe that agriculture is possible without synthetic pesticides.
How many agencies and organizations does the industry want to threaten, with its goonda tactics – all of the above?
We demand through this letter that the pesticides industry stop using such tactics, especially when a healthy, informed debate is being created for the first time on the issue of pesticide use in states like Punjab. Otherwise, they will be forced to sue hundreds of us, since we are all working on eliminating and replacing chemical pesticide use in agriculture, with adequate and appropriate scientific evidence in front of us. More importantly, we are driven by the fact that farmers themselves are innovating and are showing the world that pesticides are not inevitable in agriculture.
Umendra Dutt
and
its Associations like Agro-Chemical Promotion Group [APG],
Crop Care Federation of India,
Centre for Environment & Agro-Chemicals etc.
It is a well-established fact that farming can be done without pesticides and thousands of farmers are indeed doing so all over India, across all crops. It is also a well-known fact that pesticides are poisons that can harm living organisms and are related to many illnesses and other negative impacts due to direct and indirect exposure to such toxic chemicals. It is not just the people’s organizations, movements and NGOs that recognize this reality but farmers and affected communities themselves, academia including agriculture scientists and medical scientists in addition to national and international agencies working on the issue [including UN bodies].
There is widespread recognition of the need to give up pesticides and there are many different efforts being taken up for promoting non-chemical alternatives. Sales are reportedly decreasing and the markets shrinking for the industry. There is also a review process underway of looking at the possible ban of at least 37 pesticides in India, which have been banned elsewhere on various grounds. The pesticides industry seems to be driven into a very desperate position to revive and expand its markets and to paint a good picture of itself. That desperation reflects itself in the many unacceptable tactics employed by the industry and its associations against the civil society groups discussing the issue of pesticides and environmental health.
It is ridiculous that the pesticide industry should choose to stifle, through what could only be termed as goonda, threatening tactics, a healthy, independent and comprehensive discussion on the need for pesticides, the risks associated compared to any benefits, their relation with the current situation in agriculture and health being witnessed in many locations, the issue of liability and redressal and so on.
In the past three-four years, the pesticides industry and its associations have sent many legal notices to organizations in India such as Community Health Cell, Bangalore; Toxics Link, New Delhi; Greenpeace India, Bangalore; Centre for Science & Environment, New Delhi; Kheti Virasat Mission, Faridkot district etc. These legal notices received responses from the various organizations. In spite of having received responses, the pesticides industry is using the tactic of choosing to go around the country through Crop Life India, holding press conferences and threatening NGOs of legal action through the media.
While that is one tactic being used, another tactic is not of a legal notice, but an outright threatening letter. These “Public apology, Or Else”/“withdraw, or else” letters are being sent straight by the industry’s associations like APG and CEAC to certain grassroots organizations. There are also instances of letters of ‘reasoning out’ being sent to some groups and individuals by industry’s associations like APG [“All concerned need to join hands…for safe and judicious use of agri-inputs”, “assess the issue objectively” and so on].
What is particularly offensive is the recent spate of letters received by organizations like Kheti Virasat Mission, Punjab and all the speakers who have been invited to a meeting on Pesticides, Cancer and Reproductive Health on May 6th 2006 in Chandigarh. Each expert, eminent speaker to the meeting has been sent a legal notice by the industry’s associations. Worse, one of the speakers of an international agency even received an anonymous threatening phone call warning the speaker against participating in the meeting on the 6th. All these letters to the speakers warn them that they will be ‘dragged into litigation’ if they take part in the meeting – this is the industry’s unacceptable interference in the basic fundamental right of expression that these speakers/organizations have. It is worth noting that the meeting will be held as per plan and the organizers and speakers refused to be cowed down by such threats.
It should also be noted that the industry never had a problem with its own aggressive, incentive-based propaganda for marketing its products. The pesticide companies were happy when their sales were being increased by the distribution and dealer network that actively encouraged farmers to resort to indiscriminate use and often gave wrong and dangerous information. However when it is time for an informed debate with the best scientists, sociologists and friends of farmers on the issue of pesticides and their need, that the industry would like everyone to be “objective”.
Through this open letter, we would like the pesticides industry to clearly recognize the following facts:
organizations like Kheti Virasat Mission are not alone in their studies, findings, views and experiences related to pesticides. There are many scientifically accepted studies which show the negative impacts of pesticides in many different ways, by experts in various fields and not just civil society groups
even governments are recommending the ban of pesticides on many grounds, including health grounds
we are all against the use of pesticides in our agriculture and food and we believe that agriculture is possible without synthetic pesticides.
How many agencies and organizations does the industry want to threaten, with its goonda tactics – all of the above?
We demand through this letter that the pesticides industry stop using such tactics, especially when a healthy, informed debate is being created for the first time on the issue of pesticide use in states like Punjab. Otherwise, they will be forced to sue hundreds of us, since we are all working on eliminating and replacing chemical pesticide use in agriculture, with adequate and appropriate scientific evidence in front of us. More importantly, we are driven by the fact that farmers themselves are innovating and are showing the world that pesticides are not inevitable in agriculture.
Umendra Dutt
PUNJAB State Policy PAPER on Organic Farming
POLICY FOR SUSTENANCE,
HEALTH
& ECOLOGY
By Umendra Dutt
Punjab is going to have a state policy on organic farming very soon. The Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has announced this in current session of the assembly. However, announcements made are always political but policies are always drafted without any political will and vision. This lack of vision takes policies always away from the very people on whose name and welfare the policies are declared.
Organic farming is gaining growing importance in the agriculture sector of a number of countries, irrespective of their stage of development. In several developed countries, organic agriculture has come to represent a significant portion of the food system (10% in Australia, 7.8% in Switzerland) and many others are experiencing growth rates that exceed 20% annually (e.g. USA, France, Japan, Singapore). Some of the developing countries have small domestic organic markets (e.g. Egypt) and a few have begun to seize the lucrative export opportunities presented by organic agriculture (e.g. exports of Mexican coffee, Ugandan cotton.)
India had historically practiced organic farming. Sir Albert Howard, who was sent to India as an Imperial Economic Botanist to work at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in the year 1905 to improve Indian agriculture, soon concluded that agriculture, as practiced by the India peasants, was rooted on the sound principles of sustainability. Howard, who was elected President of Indian Science Congress in 1926, observed that agriculture research should not be misused to make the farmer exploit the soil reserves but to teach him the knowledge to transfer capital in the shape of soil fertility and the reserves of his livestock to his profit and loss account.
The Indian peasant, for Howard, epitomized 'good farming' by faithfully copying Nature in their agriculture. Livestock were not merely source of nutrition in the form of milk and meat, or of energy in the form of draught animals, their urine and dung was a crucial cog in the progress of growth. So were growing leguminous crops, ploughing back crop residues and the extensive use of green manure. Howard's research proved the improved efficacy of humus for crop yield and resistance to pests and diseases, as compared to chemical fertilizers. He developed the Indore process of composting, which is even today being practiced widely by organic farmers.
Since the era of Howard, many changes and, that too, fast changes have taken place in the growth of agriculture both in India and in the world.
The pesticide centric agriculture had taken centre stage in country's planning and perception and Punjab has become most vital component of this chemical-based agriculture system. Since then, the Punjab was projected as the model state for the success of green revolution; it has become the centre of intensive agriculture practices from 50's. During last five decades, India has increased the consumption of pesticides from 154 MT in 1953-54 to 80,000 MT in 1994-95. Therefore, Punjab is leader in the high use of pesticides. Consumption of grade pesticides in Punjab is highest in country. Punjab is consuming 7100 MT of pesticides for its 7693 hectares with the percentage of 923 grammes per ha. Punjab has highest pesticide load among the Indian states. More over the cotton belt of Malwa is consuming highest pesticide density in country. Punjab is just 2.5% area of total agriculture land in India and it consumers near 18% pesticides of the country, where as the cotton belt comprises only 15% area of Punjab and it consumes nearly 70% pesticide of the state, thus making the equation more dangerous. Malwa's cotton belt is less then 0.5 % geographical area of country but almost 10 % pesticides of country are used here.
From last five years there are number of documents brought up by various government agencies and institutions. In 2001 Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India had formed a Task Force on Organic Farming headed by Dr.Kunwarji Bhai Jadav that brought out its report in November 2001. In September 2001, the Working Group on Organic and Biodynamic Farming, constituted by Planning Commission submitted another report.
The Task Force on Organic Farming had made several recommendations, few are very important, as:
i) Economic value of chemical fertilizers and organic manures may be equated in terms of their overall effect on soil productivity, crop production and then Government may provide the support accordingly.
ii) The technology packages on organic farming as developed by farmers, NGOs and others may be evaluated and the successful technology may be expanded in larger areas.
iii) Bullock drawn implements should be encouraged.
iv) Bankable model schemes on organic farming may be prepared and circulated among the States for its adoption and popularization.
v) Each of the agricultural universities in the country may start a course at the Post-Graduation level on organic farming.
vi) Each KVK may set up a vermin-compost unit and a biological control unit for demonstration and dissemination of the techniques. These centres may also provide bioagents / antagonist and earthworms to the farmers after their training.
vii) Each KVK may lay out one demonstration on organic farming by taking major crops of that area as test crops.
viii) Farmers training about cost-benefit relationship in organic farming and about export of organic produce may be organised through some designated institutions specialized in this area. The Government may support such institutions, which may include NGOs.
ix) The organic markets for supply and purchase of inputs and outputs for organic farming may be developed.
x) Adequate numbers of certification agencies may be identified, registered/recognized. The certification agencies may be financed by the Government to carry out free certification for the farmers for intended export of organic produce.
xi) In the areas of high production, the shifting to organic farming system may result into loss of produce in the initial years. For such switch over, farmers may need to be compensated for initial 2-3 years.
xii) All the Central Government farms may set up vermin-compost units, develop, and demonstrate the system of re-cycling of crop residues. This may be demonstrated by reduced consumption of chemical fertilizers on the Government farms.
xiii) All the State Government may be advised to consider to device the system as introduced by Government of Madhya Pradesh about the experimentation and demonstrations on Government farms on 50:50 area basis on organic on organic farming and other forms of farming.
xiv) The biodynamic means of preparing nutrients may be standardized and the technology may be popularized.
xv) The crop residues should not be permitted to be burnt. Suitable legislation may be thought of, if required.
xvi) Adequate information may be made available to the farmers about the crop-wise residues arising and equivalent nutrient value per unit area through such crop residues.
xvii) The ventures of vermin-compost, compost, press mud and other forms of generation of organic nutrients for crop production may be exempted from levy of all kinds of taxes, excise and income tax etc.
xviii) The agriculture being a Sate subject, the State Governments may be effectively involved in the National programme to be prepared for promotion of organic farming.
xix) Each Sate may set up a State level cell or create a suitable unit at the Headquarter of Directorate of Agriculture to oversee the promotion of organic farming in the State.
Most of these recommendations stay there in files only. Some how in 2003, Government of India had accepted one of important recommendation of Organic Farming Task Force and National Centre for Bio-Fertilizers was converted into National Centre for Organic Farming in 2004. Moreover, National Project on Organic Farming was approved with an outlay of Rs.57.05 crores for production, promotion, and market development organic farming in the country during 10th Plan.
Apart from Central Government, five states have their state policies on organic farming this includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh is in the mid of drafting process. Moreover, Himachal Pradesh has initiated a state level project on organic farming. The Northeastern states had also prepared an elaborative plan for organic farming promotion.
Every policy has few indispensable components- the vision, the ultimate objective and the inbuilt capacity to fulfill peoples' aspirations. The policy should address its core issue holistically. Its guiding principal lies in the well-being of community and the nation at large. It reflects the tradition, the heritage and socio-economic and civilization thought process, perceptions and progressive unfolding of the society. For this, policy has to be evolved by the involvement of community and its inputs. These are the fundamental of participatory democracy - a key word for sustainable development in true sense.
The announcement made by the Chief Minister is quite important may be converted in to timely initiative. As organic farming, is gradually picking-up in Punjab with more and more farmers joining the sustainable stream? Several civil society groups have started the organic farming across the state by involving farmers either as individual or as a group.
The Punjab Agro Export Corporation has taken a lead in this by initiating an export-oriented project. Punjab Agro appointed the consultants for this project and as per claims; they are working with more then 1200 farmers covering near 8000 acres of land. Some central government institutions like CAPART, KVIC and NABARD had also come up with schemes for supporting the projects of vermi-composting, organic farming and marketing. Apart from this, large numbers of farmers are converting their farms to organic by their own or in collaboration with some private company, charitable or religious institution and even Goshalas. On the other side, showrooms or corners for the sale of organic produce are also coming up in major towns. The general awareness is also spreading by the virtue of debate on health and ecological crisis in Punjab courtesy the pro-active role of Media. The media had also played very important role in promoting organic farming movement.
The PAU has also come up with a project in Department of Agronomy, though it is still in infant stage. However, we must understand PAU’s perspective and approach towards organic farming. PAU scientists openly show their apprehensions regard potentials of organic farming. They even put limitations of organic farming in their official presentation on organic farming. Secondly, they are even equating BT cotton produce with organic one. Even senior officials from Agriculture department had shown their doubts for productivity and yield. So, wither it is PAU or Agriculture department both are working half-heartedly, it may be because there is clear misunderstanding related to yield potentials of organic. Moreover, agriculture scientists from are not so open to learn from experiences of farmers from other Indian states, if it is United States then they may follow it. There is a false self-pride feeling in Punjab that we have to feed rest of the country, we have to grow more and more, and it is only possible by chemicalised agriculture.
Punjab must take note of example of Cuba becoming self-sufficient in food and vegetables by organic farming and that too with in three to four years of time. Cuba has opted for organic in 1990-91 and by mid-1995; the food shortage had been overcome. It is general opinion that a nation cannot feed its people without synthetic agro-chemicals, yet today Cuba is self-reliant in food security without using these deadly agro-chemicals. This is a result of change in mindset and agricultural vision and Punjab needs the same.
This is the appropriate time to raise the public debate on state policy for organic farming in Punjab. As the Chief Minister himself assured to formulate a state policy therefore, one can hope that Punjab state policy on organic farming will soon become a reality. Nevertheless, an important question must be answered that what should be the priorities in Punjab. What is meaning and relevance of organic farming for Punjab?
Organic Farming in Punjab is like reintroducing some thing a man has lost due to some accident or in pursuer of circumstances. Though it is being said that organic farming is comparatively new field for the farmers of Punjab, although they practiced it since time immemorial, It was during the green revolution years of sixties and seventies of twentieth century that the abandoned it. The revival of sustainable and organic farming practices in Punjab can be called as a rescue mission and an effort to retrieve the lost heritage. Therefore, it is the appropriate time to discuss the problems of organic farming in a very vast spectrum. To support those brave farmers of Punjab who have dared to adopt organic path of agriculture in the very capital of green revolution some one should take an initiative to bring expertise debate right in to fields of Punjab. There is not any piece of land in Punjab where crops can be grown without inorganic synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Virtually the total land of Punjab has turned barren because it has lost its natural nutrient pool. The situation is alarming and the signs are ominous.
We seem to be quite close to a stage, which can rightly be called "agriculture chaos” The time to act is now. In the present circumstances, organic farming is perhaps the only alternative, which can help us to come out of this agricultural and ecological crisis in Punjab. There is a need to shift from 'Quantity' to 'Quality' and that is possible only if the issue is understood holistically.
Impact on ecology and health: A slight change in the eco system can cause very devastating and long-term effect on the health of all living organisms including humans. Use of very high doses of lethal agro chemicals in agriculture during these days is responsible for the spurt of many diseases, which were very rare in the past.
Economics of debt and suicides: The cost of inputs in agriculture is increasing day-by-day; land holdings are simultaneously decreasing making agriculture unviable for majority of farmers. Baring some big farmers, almost all are caught in the debt trap and are unable to repay their loans. The land is mortgaged with the moneylenders, who some times use hard tactics for recovery. Farmers live in the fear of loosing their lands. It is not surprising that Panchayat of Harkishanpura in district Bathinda and Mal Singh Wala in Mansa district had passed a resolution announcing that the village was up for sale. In Punjab, honour is a sacred word, the people here are a proud lot, and they attach great importance to their dignity. Due to their inability to pay back the huge debts, the hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in Punjab. Green revolution has not only gone sour, it has now turned red. The huge number of suicides is a testimony to the entire equation going wrong.
In addition, there is a need to earnestly orchestrate an organic farming revolution in which following issues need to be given stress and close attention: -
1) Generating awareness among the farmers to change their mindset.
2) Guiding and helping the farmers in the proper implementation of organic
Farming techniques.
3) Making proper arrangement for marketing the organic fertilizer and organic
pesticide.
4) Helping the policy maker and administration to come forward with sound
policies to help the farmers.
5) Increase agro-bio diversity through mix cropping, conserving water
resources and increasing genetic diversity.
To accomplish this very difficult, but urgently required task, two things are very important - the will to work and a congenial environment for growth of organic movement in Punjab.
The Organic Farming vision should be mission-oriented and farmer-centered, unlike the popular view of organic farming that has a commercial orientation and is corporate-centered.
Making agriculture sustainable economically & ecologically- The modern agriculture systems now proved to be exhaustive, exploitative and abusive towards nature, man and civilization. Therefore, we have to adopt a perspective and agriculture system, which can bring back the very pride of our farmer, his self-respect, his self-confidence, and his faith in the agriculture heritage of his own ancestors. This agriculture perspective will based on SWADESHI KRISHI DARSHAN comprising of on-farm composting by farmer, preparation of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides and other inputs by farmer her/him-self and by local/area/regional resources to make minimal dependence of farmer on market forces. For this, we have to establish a network of organic farmers, which can facilitate as a hub for exchanging and sharing of experience, creating a farmer managed pool of knowledge system and resources.
Marketing Arrangements and Organic Consumer Network- This aspect is related to the survival of the farmers as the yield of organically produced crops are initially low during transition or evolution period and subsequent price is not sufficient and remunerative to sustain organic farming. For this awareness, integrated with the intricate network of consumers for regular supply chain for quality health food free from poison is also very important. Thus, organic consumer can play a vital role to encourage more and more farmers to adopt organic farming. The social groups, educational institutions and off course private commercial ventures, can help to organize these organic consumers networks.
Handling, Packaging, and warehousing The products for marketing needs attractive packaging, efficient handling and storage during the off-season. The transition period after harvesting and before marketing is indeed a crucial phase as a number of insects and other living organisms and climatic variation influence the stored harvest. For this, farmers and persons dealing with organic produce need proper training.
Certification Procedure, Cost, and Logistic � As Punjab is facing acute environmental-health challenges so; the preference should be given to local consumers of Punjab. Nevertheless, if we think about export, few issue need to be addressed. For exporting the organic food to other states as well as to foreign countries, or for placing these products in the super markets of metro cities, certification is required. Its procedure, cost involved in obtaining the certificate and keeping WTO in view, the farmers needs specialized training and support. The present system of so-called certified organic products is very corporate oriented and mindlessly copied from abroad (where the "food miles" are longer), pushing the Indian farmers out of the organic market. In this context, one thing is clear: that for local or domestic market we should evolve certification processes and standards that are indigenous and community-based. This can create scope for civil society groups to promote organic food.
Organically Certified Seeds � For a good yield, certified seeds form the backbone of the organic farming. This aspect needs special emphasis and attention from the scientists and agriculturists of our universities. The market oriented organic farming system causes serious implications on the traditional seed keeping practices. Especially, the TRIPS regime of WTO is posing threat to farmer's right over bio-diversity and indigenous seed verities. We should encourage our farmers to become seed-keepers, as they are already doing this through traditional system.
Role of Bio-inputs Companies � As India is a large country and the consumption of inputs for agriculture is very high, there is a need for serious business acumen for producing specialized bio-inputs, which may include organic manure, pesticides/insecticides and growth related agents in the villages of Punjab. Externalization of input servicing in biological systems is difficult and energy intensive. Hence, the local resources are to be utilized appropriately through efficient entrepreneurships. The standardization of bio inputs also needs serious and thorough attention. This is very important to safeguard the interest of organic farmers so that the standardization process and its implementation should be made mandatory. BIS and other agencies may evolve procedures in this regard. The NGOs and organic farming groups should be given the role of monitoring in this regard. Government support for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists, and other benevolent organisms shall be given a major thrust in the policy statement paper.
Involvement of Women: The women are playing very significant role in restoring nature and making organic farming a success in several places throughout the country. As organic farming can be termed as family enterprise, the involvement of women can provide organic farming the requisite motherly care. Women-power has immense scope and strength for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists and other benevolent organisms through a structured entrepreneurship along with post-harvest handling of crops including value-added product production. This shall also provide the enhanced opportunity for women to take part in this endeavor of transforming the agro-cultural scenario. Civilization and its spontaneous evolution cannot be imagined without the active participation of a major part of the population, which is a woman.
Incentive and subsidies: The subsidies and other incentives shall play a crucial role for the promotion of organic farming and it becomes more relevant in the present WTO regime. In fact, the subsidies paid by the American and European governments are indeed very high and form the backbone of their farmers. Government schemes for promotion of organic farming should consider this aspect. Appropriate schemes and policies for the development of organic farming in the state are needed. These must be farmer oriented and may require rising of special funds. Rising incidents of suicides by the Punjabi farmers is another pointer of their woes. The cost of inputs is increasing day by day, the pests attacking the crops are becoming resistant to even the most lethal chemicals insecticide, pesticides and other synthetic pyreathroids agents, thus creating huge losses to already struggling Punjabi farmer.
GE Crops and Organic Farming: Into this situation, Genetic Engineering is being imported as the solution (BT Cotton for example) whereas it has the potential to further worsen the situation given all its potential environmental and health hazards. No one should be misled by the propaganda of GE seed companies taking Bt.crops as pesticide-free organic crops, where as Bt.crops have also a pesticides, preotein (delta endotoxin) that has disputed effect on human health. So, at no point Genetically Engineered or Bt. Crops can be considered as organic at all.
Kheti Virasat Mission is of the firm belief that organic farming is the appropriate answer in this context; it is need of hour to motivate the farmers of Punjab to gradually switch over to the organic farming practices.
Punjab government should invite suggestions and inputs from all the stack holders and partners for sustainable development of state before formulating any policy. Public Hearings and dialogue must be initiated to make policy people's oriented and realistic.
POLICY FOR SUSTENANCE,
HEALTH
& ECOLOGY
By Umendra Dutt
Punjab is going to have a state policy on organic farming very soon. The Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has announced this in current session of the assembly. However, announcements made are always political but policies are always drafted without any political will and vision. This lack of vision takes policies always away from the very people on whose name and welfare the policies are declared.
Organic farming is gaining growing importance in the agriculture sector of a number of countries, irrespective of their stage of development. In several developed countries, organic agriculture has come to represent a significant portion of the food system (10% in Australia, 7.8% in Switzerland) and many others are experiencing growth rates that exceed 20% annually (e.g. USA, France, Japan, Singapore). Some of the developing countries have small domestic organic markets (e.g. Egypt) and a few have begun to seize the lucrative export opportunities presented by organic agriculture (e.g. exports of Mexican coffee, Ugandan cotton.)
India had historically practiced organic farming. Sir Albert Howard, who was sent to India as an Imperial Economic Botanist to work at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute in the year 1905 to improve Indian agriculture, soon concluded that agriculture, as practiced by the India peasants, was rooted on the sound principles of sustainability. Howard, who was elected President of Indian Science Congress in 1926, observed that agriculture research should not be misused to make the farmer exploit the soil reserves but to teach him the knowledge to transfer capital in the shape of soil fertility and the reserves of his livestock to his profit and loss account.
The Indian peasant, for Howard, epitomized 'good farming' by faithfully copying Nature in their agriculture. Livestock were not merely source of nutrition in the form of milk and meat, or of energy in the form of draught animals, their urine and dung was a crucial cog in the progress of growth. So were growing leguminous crops, ploughing back crop residues and the extensive use of green manure. Howard's research proved the improved efficacy of humus for crop yield and resistance to pests and diseases, as compared to chemical fertilizers. He developed the Indore process of composting, which is even today being practiced widely by organic farmers.
Since the era of Howard, many changes and, that too, fast changes have taken place in the growth of agriculture both in India and in the world.
The pesticide centric agriculture had taken centre stage in country's planning and perception and Punjab has become most vital component of this chemical-based agriculture system. Since then, the Punjab was projected as the model state for the success of green revolution; it has become the centre of intensive agriculture practices from 50's. During last five decades, India has increased the consumption of pesticides from 154 MT in 1953-54 to 80,000 MT in 1994-95. Therefore, Punjab is leader in the high use of pesticides. Consumption of grade pesticides in Punjab is highest in country. Punjab is consuming 7100 MT of pesticides for its 7693 hectares with the percentage of 923 grammes per ha. Punjab has highest pesticide load among the Indian states. More over the cotton belt of Malwa is consuming highest pesticide density in country. Punjab is just 2.5% area of total agriculture land in India and it consumers near 18% pesticides of the country, where as the cotton belt comprises only 15% area of Punjab and it consumes nearly 70% pesticide of the state, thus making the equation more dangerous. Malwa's cotton belt is less then 0.5 % geographical area of country but almost 10 % pesticides of country are used here.
From last five years there are number of documents brought up by various government agencies and institutions. In 2001 Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India had formed a Task Force on Organic Farming headed by Dr.Kunwarji Bhai Jadav that brought out its report in November 2001. In September 2001, the Working Group on Organic and Biodynamic Farming, constituted by Planning Commission submitted another report.
The Task Force on Organic Farming had made several recommendations, few are very important, as:
i) Economic value of chemical fertilizers and organic manures may be equated in terms of their overall effect on soil productivity, crop production and then Government may provide the support accordingly.
ii) The technology packages on organic farming as developed by farmers, NGOs and others may be evaluated and the successful technology may be expanded in larger areas.
iii) Bullock drawn implements should be encouraged.
iv) Bankable model schemes on organic farming may be prepared and circulated among the States for its adoption and popularization.
v) Each of the agricultural universities in the country may start a course at the Post-Graduation level on organic farming.
vi) Each KVK may set up a vermin-compost unit and a biological control unit for demonstration and dissemination of the techniques. These centres may also provide bioagents / antagonist and earthworms to the farmers after their training.
vii) Each KVK may lay out one demonstration on organic farming by taking major crops of that area as test crops.
viii) Farmers training about cost-benefit relationship in organic farming and about export of organic produce may be organised through some designated institutions specialized in this area. The Government may support such institutions, which may include NGOs.
ix) The organic markets for supply and purchase of inputs and outputs for organic farming may be developed.
x) Adequate numbers of certification agencies may be identified, registered/recognized. The certification agencies may be financed by the Government to carry out free certification for the farmers for intended export of organic produce.
xi) In the areas of high production, the shifting to organic farming system may result into loss of produce in the initial years. For such switch over, farmers may need to be compensated for initial 2-3 years.
xii) All the Central Government farms may set up vermin-compost units, develop, and demonstrate the system of re-cycling of crop residues. This may be demonstrated by reduced consumption of chemical fertilizers on the Government farms.
xiii) All the State Government may be advised to consider to device the system as introduced by Government of Madhya Pradesh about the experimentation and demonstrations on Government farms on 50:50 area basis on organic on organic farming and other forms of farming.
xiv) The biodynamic means of preparing nutrients may be standardized and the technology may be popularized.
xv) The crop residues should not be permitted to be burnt. Suitable legislation may be thought of, if required.
xvi) Adequate information may be made available to the farmers about the crop-wise residues arising and equivalent nutrient value per unit area through such crop residues.
xvii) The ventures of vermin-compost, compost, press mud and other forms of generation of organic nutrients for crop production may be exempted from levy of all kinds of taxes, excise and income tax etc.
xviii) The agriculture being a Sate subject, the State Governments may be effectively involved in the National programme to be prepared for promotion of organic farming.
xix) Each Sate may set up a State level cell or create a suitable unit at the Headquarter of Directorate of Agriculture to oversee the promotion of organic farming in the State.
Most of these recommendations stay there in files only. Some how in 2003, Government of India had accepted one of important recommendation of Organic Farming Task Force and National Centre for Bio-Fertilizers was converted into National Centre for Organic Farming in 2004. Moreover, National Project on Organic Farming was approved with an outlay of Rs.57.05 crores for production, promotion, and market development organic farming in the country during 10th Plan.
Apart from Central Government, five states have their state policies on organic farming this includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh is in the mid of drafting process. Moreover, Himachal Pradesh has initiated a state level project on organic farming. The Northeastern states had also prepared an elaborative plan for organic farming promotion.
Every policy has few indispensable components- the vision, the ultimate objective and the inbuilt capacity to fulfill peoples' aspirations. The policy should address its core issue holistically. Its guiding principal lies in the well-being of community and the nation at large. It reflects the tradition, the heritage and socio-economic and civilization thought process, perceptions and progressive unfolding of the society. For this, policy has to be evolved by the involvement of community and its inputs. These are the fundamental of participatory democracy - a key word for sustainable development in true sense.
The announcement made by the Chief Minister is quite important may be converted in to timely initiative. As organic farming, is gradually picking-up in Punjab with more and more farmers joining the sustainable stream? Several civil society groups have started the organic farming across the state by involving farmers either as individual or as a group.
The Punjab Agro Export Corporation has taken a lead in this by initiating an export-oriented project. Punjab Agro appointed the consultants for this project and as per claims; they are working with more then 1200 farmers covering near 8000 acres of land. Some central government institutions like CAPART, KVIC and NABARD had also come up with schemes for supporting the projects of vermi-composting, organic farming and marketing. Apart from this, large numbers of farmers are converting their farms to organic by their own or in collaboration with some private company, charitable or religious institution and even Goshalas. On the other side, showrooms or corners for the sale of organic produce are also coming up in major towns. The general awareness is also spreading by the virtue of debate on health and ecological crisis in Punjab courtesy the pro-active role of Media. The media had also played very important role in promoting organic farming movement.
The PAU has also come up with a project in Department of Agronomy, though it is still in infant stage. However, we must understand PAU’s perspective and approach towards organic farming. PAU scientists openly show their apprehensions regard potentials of organic farming. They even put limitations of organic farming in their official presentation on organic farming. Secondly, they are even equating BT cotton produce with organic one. Even senior officials from Agriculture department had shown their doubts for productivity and yield. So, wither it is PAU or Agriculture department both are working half-heartedly, it may be because there is clear misunderstanding related to yield potentials of organic. Moreover, agriculture scientists from are not so open to learn from experiences of farmers from other Indian states, if it is United States then they may follow it. There is a false self-pride feeling in Punjab that we have to feed rest of the country, we have to grow more and more, and it is only possible by chemicalised agriculture.
Punjab must take note of example of Cuba becoming self-sufficient in food and vegetables by organic farming and that too with in three to four years of time. Cuba has opted for organic in 1990-91 and by mid-1995; the food shortage had been overcome. It is general opinion that a nation cannot feed its people without synthetic agro-chemicals, yet today Cuba is self-reliant in food security without using these deadly agro-chemicals. This is a result of change in mindset and agricultural vision and Punjab needs the same.
This is the appropriate time to raise the public debate on state policy for organic farming in Punjab. As the Chief Minister himself assured to formulate a state policy therefore, one can hope that Punjab state policy on organic farming will soon become a reality. Nevertheless, an important question must be answered that what should be the priorities in Punjab. What is meaning and relevance of organic farming for Punjab?
Organic Farming in Punjab is like reintroducing some thing a man has lost due to some accident or in pursuer of circumstances. Though it is being said that organic farming is comparatively new field for the farmers of Punjab, although they practiced it since time immemorial, It was during the green revolution years of sixties and seventies of twentieth century that the abandoned it. The revival of sustainable and organic farming practices in Punjab can be called as a rescue mission and an effort to retrieve the lost heritage. Therefore, it is the appropriate time to discuss the problems of organic farming in a very vast spectrum. To support those brave farmers of Punjab who have dared to adopt organic path of agriculture in the very capital of green revolution some one should take an initiative to bring expertise debate right in to fields of Punjab. There is not any piece of land in Punjab where crops can be grown without inorganic synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Virtually the total land of Punjab has turned barren because it has lost its natural nutrient pool. The situation is alarming and the signs are ominous.
We seem to be quite close to a stage, which can rightly be called "agriculture chaos” The time to act is now. In the present circumstances, organic farming is perhaps the only alternative, which can help us to come out of this agricultural and ecological crisis in Punjab. There is a need to shift from 'Quantity' to 'Quality' and that is possible only if the issue is understood holistically.
Impact on ecology and health: A slight change in the eco system can cause very devastating and long-term effect on the health of all living organisms including humans. Use of very high doses of lethal agro chemicals in agriculture during these days is responsible for the spurt of many diseases, which were very rare in the past.
Economics of debt and suicides: The cost of inputs in agriculture is increasing day-by-day; land holdings are simultaneously decreasing making agriculture unviable for majority of farmers. Baring some big farmers, almost all are caught in the debt trap and are unable to repay their loans. The land is mortgaged with the moneylenders, who some times use hard tactics for recovery. Farmers live in the fear of loosing their lands. It is not surprising that Panchayat of Harkishanpura in district Bathinda and Mal Singh Wala in Mansa district had passed a resolution announcing that the village was up for sale. In Punjab, honour is a sacred word, the people here are a proud lot, and they attach great importance to their dignity. Due to their inability to pay back the huge debts, the hundreds of farmers have committed suicide in Punjab. Green revolution has not only gone sour, it has now turned red. The huge number of suicides is a testimony to the entire equation going wrong.
In addition, there is a need to earnestly orchestrate an organic farming revolution in which following issues need to be given stress and close attention: -
1) Generating awareness among the farmers to change their mindset.
2) Guiding and helping the farmers in the proper implementation of organic
Farming techniques.
3) Making proper arrangement for marketing the organic fertilizer and organic
pesticide.
4) Helping the policy maker and administration to come forward with sound
policies to help the farmers.
5) Increase agro-bio diversity through mix cropping, conserving water
resources and increasing genetic diversity.
To accomplish this very difficult, but urgently required task, two things are very important - the will to work and a congenial environment for growth of organic movement in Punjab.
The Organic Farming vision should be mission-oriented and farmer-centered, unlike the popular view of organic farming that has a commercial orientation and is corporate-centered.
Making agriculture sustainable economically & ecologically- The modern agriculture systems now proved to be exhaustive, exploitative and abusive towards nature, man and civilization. Therefore, we have to adopt a perspective and agriculture system, which can bring back the very pride of our farmer, his self-respect, his self-confidence, and his faith in the agriculture heritage of his own ancestors. This agriculture perspective will based on SWADESHI KRISHI DARSHAN comprising of on-farm composting by farmer, preparation of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides and other inputs by farmer her/him-self and by local/area/regional resources to make minimal dependence of farmer on market forces. For this, we have to establish a network of organic farmers, which can facilitate as a hub for exchanging and sharing of experience, creating a farmer managed pool of knowledge system and resources.
Marketing Arrangements and Organic Consumer Network- This aspect is related to the survival of the farmers as the yield of organically produced crops are initially low during transition or evolution period and subsequent price is not sufficient and remunerative to sustain organic farming. For this awareness, integrated with the intricate network of consumers for regular supply chain for quality health food free from poison is also very important. Thus, organic consumer can play a vital role to encourage more and more farmers to adopt organic farming. The social groups, educational institutions and off course private commercial ventures, can help to organize these organic consumers networks.
Handling, Packaging, and warehousing The products for marketing needs attractive packaging, efficient handling and storage during the off-season. The transition period after harvesting and before marketing is indeed a crucial phase as a number of insects and other living organisms and climatic variation influence the stored harvest. For this, farmers and persons dealing with organic produce need proper training.
Certification Procedure, Cost, and Logistic � As Punjab is facing acute environmental-health challenges so; the preference should be given to local consumers of Punjab. Nevertheless, if we think about export, few issue need to be addressed. For exporting the organic food to other states as well as to foreign countries, or for placing these products in the super markets of metro cities, certification is required. Its procedure, cost involved in obtaining the certificate and keeping WTO in view, the farmers needs specialized training and support. The present system of so-called certified organic products is very corporate oriented and mindlessly copied from abroad (where the "food miles" are longer), pushing the Indian farmers out of the organic market. In this context, one thing is clear: that for local or domestic market we should evolve certification processes and standards that are indigenous and community-based. This can create scope for civil society groups to promote organic food.
Organically Certified Seeds � For a good yield, certified seeds form the backbone of the organic farming. This aspect needs special emphasis and attention from the scientists and agriculturists of our universities. The market oriented organic farming system causes serious implications on the traditional seed keeping practices. Especially, the TRIPS regime of WTO is posing threat to farmer's right over bio-diversity and indigenous seed verities. We should encourage our farmers to become seed-keepers, as they are already doing this through traditional system.
Role of Bio-inputs Companies � As India is a large country and the consumption of inputs for agriculture is very high, there is a need for serious business acumen for producing specialized bio-inputs, which may include organic manure, pesticides/insecticides and growth related agents in the villages of Punjab. Externalization of input servicing in biological systems is difficult and energy intensive. Hence, the local resources are to be utilized appropriately through efficient entrepreneurships. The standardization of bio inputs also needs serious and thorough attention. This is very important to safeguard the interest of organic farmers so that the standardization process and its implementation should be made mandatory. BIS and other agencies may evolve procedures in this regard. The NGOs and organic farming groups should be given the role of monitoring in this regard. Government support for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists, and other benevolent organisms shall be given a major thrust in the policy statement paper.
Involvement of Women: The women are playing very significant role in restoring nature and making organic farming a success in several places throughout the country. As organic farming can be termed as family enterprise, the involvement of women can provide organic farming the requisite motherly care. Women-power has immense scope and strength for scientific mass-production of compost, bio-fertilizers, bio-control agents, antagonists and other benevolent organisms through a structured entrepreneurship along with post-harvest handling of crops including value-added product production. This shall also provide the enhanced opportunity for women to take part in this endeavor of transforming the agro-cultural scenario. Civilization and its spontaneous evolution cannot be imagined without the active participation of a major part of the population, which is a woman.
Incentive and subsidies: The subsidies and other incentives shall play a crucial role for the promotion of organic farming and it becomes more relevant in the present WTO regime. In fact, the subsidies paid by the American and European governments are indeed very high and form the backbone of their farmers. Government schemes for promotion of organic farming should consider this aspect. Appropriate schemes and policies for the development of organic farming in the state are needed. These must be farmer oriented and may require rising of special funds. Rising incidents of suicides by the Punjabi farmers is another pointer of their woes. The cost of inputs is increasing day by day, the pests attacking the crops are becoming resistant to even the most lethal chemicals insecticide, pesticides and other synthetic pyreathroids agents, thus creating huge losses to already struggling Punjabi farmer.
GE Crops and Organic Farming: Into this situation, Genetic Engineering is being imported as the solution (BT Cotton for example) whereas it has the potential to further worsen the situation given all its potential environmental and health hazards. No one should be misled by the propaganda of GE seed companies taking Bt.crops as pesticide-free organic crops, where as Bt.crops have also a pesticides, preotein (delta endotoxin) that has disputed effect on human health. So, at no point Genetically Engineered or Bt. Crops can be considered as organic at all.
Kheti Virasat Mission is of the firm belief that organic farming is the appropriate answer in this context; it is need of hour to motivate the farmers of Punjab to gradually switch over to the organic farming practices.
Punjab government should invite suggestions and inputs from all the stack holders and partners for sustainable development of state before formulating any policy. Public Hearings and dialogue must be initiated to make policy people's oriented and realistic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)