Lok Sabha Question No. 4136 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-20
Subject: Use of Banned Pesticides
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAMSINH PATALYABHAI RATHWA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4136

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  20 TH  MARCH, 2018

## USE OF BANNED PESTICIDES

4136.  SHRI RAMSINH RATHWA:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE      ‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes new policy initiatives on pesticides use and awareness drive among farmers for safe farming, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether many pesticides banned elsewhere in the  world  are  still  in  use  in  the country;
- (c) if  so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (d) whether  'neonicotinoid'  category  of  pesticides,  banned  or  restricted  in  other countries  are  registered  and  used  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the  action  taken  by  the Government to ban such pesticides?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF  STATE IN THE  MINISTRY OF  AGRICULTURE AND  FARMERS  WELFARE

‡ãðŠãäÓã एवं  कसान  कयाण ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã  ½ãñâ  Àã·¾ã  ½ãâ¨ããè (  SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a): The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has established  35  Central  Integrated  Pest  Management  Centres  (CIPMCs)  across  the Country. These CIPMCs, inter alia, conduct Farmers Field Schools (FFSs) to sensitize farmers on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, and safe and judicious use of chemical pesticides as a last resort as per approved labels and leaflets. In the last three years,  a  total  of  1971  FFSs  have  been  organized,  sensitizing  59130  farmers.  In addition, Regular advisories on pest management are being shared with the States for their timely dissemination to the farmers through their extension functionaries. The State Governments  through  various  forums  such  as  Zonal  Conferences  and  National Conference are requested to exhort their extension functionaries to educate and impart training  to  farmers  on  efficacious  and  sustainable  pest  management  strategies  and approaches.

(b) & (c): There are 66 pesticides that are banned, restricted, withdrawn in one or more countries but continued to be registered in India. The list of such pesticides is at Annexure I. The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers  Welfare (DAC&FW) has constituted  an  expert  committee  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Anupam Verma in July 2013, to review them. The Expert Committee, inter alia, recommended 13 pesticides  to  be  completely  banned,  27  pesticides  to  be  reviewed  in  2018  after completion of certain technical studies and 6 pesticides to be phased out by 2020.  The Complete list is at Annexure II. Considering the recommendation of Expert Committee as  accorded  by  the  Registration  Committee,  the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers Welfare,  vide  its  Notification  S.O.  4212(E)  dated  15 th December,  2016,  had  invited objections  and  suggestions  from  the  public/stakeholders  on  banning/phasing  out  of certain pesticides. The details are at Annexure III. In response to the Notification S.O. 4212(E) dated 15 th December, 2016, the Ministry has received various objections and suggestions. Keeping in view of which, a committee has been constituted to review the received objections and suggestions.

(d): Six neonicotinoids (i.e. Imidiacloprid, Thiocloprid, Acetamiprid, Thiamethoaxane, Clothianidin & Dinotefuran) are registered with different formulations in the Country. The Anupam Verma Committee reviewed the use of neonicotinoids registered in India and made the following recommendations:

- (i) The use of neonicotinoids may not be restricted immediately
- (ii) A  coordinated  multi  institutional  study  needs  to  be  launch  to  determine  the effect of neonicotinoids on honey bees under different Agro-climatic conditions for at least a period of 2 years
- (iii) Additional data on bio-efficacy and  toxicological studies may  also be generated in multi-location study.
- (iv)       The use of neonicotinoids in India may be reviewed after the findings of the multi-institutional study are available.

Annexure I

## LIST OF PESTICIDES WHICH HAVE BEEN BANNED/ RESTRICTED/ WITHDRAWN IN ONE OR MORE

## COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD BUT ARE STILL REGISTERED IN INDIA

|   Sl. No. | Name of the Pesticide                           | Sl. No.   | Name of the Pesticide   |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------------|-----------|-------------------------|
|         1 | Acephate                                        | 41.       | Mancozeb                |
|         2 | Alachlor                                        | 42.       | Mepiquat Chloride       |
|         3 | Aluminum Phosphide                              | 43.       | Metaldehyde             |
|         4 | Atrazine                                        | 44.       | Monocrotophos           |
|         5 | Benfuracarb                                     | 45.       | Oxyflurofen             |
|         6 | Benomyl                                         | 46.       | Paraquat Dichloride     |
|         7 | Bifenthrin                                      | 47.       | Pendimethalin           |
|         8 | Butachlor                                       | 48.       | Phorate                 |
|         9 | Captan                                          | 49.       | Phosphomidon            |
|        10 | Carbaryl                                        | 50.       | Peitilachlor            |
|        11 | Carbendazim                                     | 51.       | Propargite              |
|        12 | Carbofuran                                      | 52.       | Propineb                |
|        13 | Chlorfenapyr                                    | 53.       | Quinalphos              |
|        14 | Carbosulfan                                     | 54.       | Sodium cyanide          |
|        15 | Chlorothalonil                                  | 55.       | Sulfosulfurone          |
|        16 | Chlorpyriphos                                   | 56.       | Thiodecarb              |
|        17 | DDT                                             | 57.       | Thiometon               |
|        18 | Dezomet                                         | 58.       | Thiphanate Methyl       |
|        19 | Deltamethrin                                    | 59.       | Thiram                  |
|        20 | Diazinon                                        | 60.       | Triazophos              |
|        21 | Dichlorovos                                     | 61.       | Trichlorofon            |
|        22 | Dicofol                                         | 62.       | Tridemorph              |
|        23 | Diflubenzuron                                   | 63.       | Trifluralin             |
|        24 | Dimethoate                                      | 64.       | Zinc Phosphide          |
|        25 | Dinocap                                         | 65.       | Zineb                   |
|        26 | Diuron                                          | 66.       | Ziram                   |
|        27 | Endo-sulfan ( Supreme Court has banned its use) |           |                         |
|        28 | Ethofenprox                                     |           |                         |
|        29 | Fenpropathrin                                   |           |                         |
|        30 | Fenarimol                                       |           |                         |
|        31 | Fenitrothion                                    |           |                         |
|        32 | Fenthion                                        |           |                         |
|        33 | Iprodione                                       |           |                         |
|        34 | 2,4-D                                           |           |                         |
|        35 | Kasugamycin                                     |           |                         |
|        36 | Linuron                                         |           |                         |
|        37 | Methomyl                                        |           |                         |
|        38 | Methoxy Ethyl Mercury Chloride                  |           |                         |
|        39 | Methyl Parathion                                |           |                         |
|        40 | Malathion                                       |           |                         |

## RECOMMENDATION OF THE EXPERT COMMITTEE WITH RESPECT TO 66 PESTICIDES

|   S. No. | Category                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |   No. of Pesticide s | Name of the Pesticides                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | I- to be continued                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |                   18 | Aluminium phosphide, Bifenthrin, Carbosulfan, Chlorfenapyr, Chlorothalonil, Dazomet, Diflubenzuron, Ethofenprox, Fenpropathrin, Iprodione, Kasugamycin, Mepiquat chloride, Metaldehyde, Paraquat dichloride, Pretilachlor, Propargite, Propineb and Zinc phosphide                                         |
|        2 | II- to be reviewed again in 2018, after completion of the recommended studies                                                                                                                                                                                    |                   27 | Acephate, Atrazine, Benfuracarb, Butachlor, Captan, Carbendazim, Carbofuran, Chlorpyriphos, Deltamethrin, Dicofol, Dimethoate, Dinocap, Diuron, 2,4-D, Malathion, Mancozeb, Methomyl, Monocrotophos, Oxyfluorfen, Pendimethalin, Quinalphos, Sulfosulfuron, Thiodicarb, Thiophanate methyl, Thiram, Zineb, |
|        3 | III- to be phased out by 2020  No new certificate of registration to manufacture shall be issued after December 2017  No person shall import, manufacture or formulate w.e.f. 1 st January 2019  The use shall be completely banned w.e.f.31 st December 2020 |                    6 | Alachlor, Dichlorvos, Phorate, Phosphamidon, Triazophos, Trichlorfon                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|        4 | IV- ban to be continued                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |                    1 | Fenitrothion                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|        5 | V- it's use to be completely banned.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |                   13 | Benomyl, Carbaryl, DDT Diazinon, Fenarimol, Fenthion, Linuron, MEMC, Methyl Parathion, Sodium Cyanide, Thiometon, Tridemorph, Trifluralin                                                                                                                                                                  |
|        6 | VI- not reviewed as it is sub-judice                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |                    1 | Endosulfan                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |

Annexure III

NAMES OF THE PESTICIDES IN THE NOTIFICATION S.O.4212 (E)

|   S.No. | Name             |
|---------|------------------|
|       1 | Benomyl          |
|       2 | Carbaryl         |
|       3 | Diazinon         |
|       4 | Fenarimol        |
|       5 | Fenthion         |
|       6 | Linuron          |
|       7 | MEMC             |
|       8 | Methyl Parathion |
|       9 | Sodium Cyanide   |
|      10 | Thiometon        |
|      11 | Tridemorph       |
|      12 | Trifluralin      |
|      13 | Alachlor         |
|      14 | Dichlorvos       |
|      15 | Phorate,         |
|      16 | Phosphamidon     |
|      17 | Triazophos       |
|      18 | Trichlorfon      |

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