Agriculturists in India are gradually moving away from chemical pesticides and fertilisers;
THE deadly DDT was banned
for agricultural use in India in
1992, when it was found that
the daily diet of Indians contained 0.27 milli grams (mg)
of this pesticide. Recently,
India saw the banning of
Benzene Hexachloride (BHC),
a pesticide which causes
turnours, leukemia, liver and
kidney damage and cancer,
and damages the nervous system. Studies on BHC contamination in India have found
residues of the chemical in
foodgrains, oilseeds, pulses,
vegetables, meat and poultry
as well as in breast milk and in
the blood in the umbilical cord.
The green revolution has
proved to be a bane in disguise. Hybrid seeds and the
use of chemical fertilisers and
pesticides increased agricultural productivity initially, but
then a plethora of problems cropped up. Fertilisers over the
years not only reduced the average farm yield but also made
the crops more susceptible to pests and diseases. And inspite
of more input of fertilisers, the ield started falling.
Now, agricultural scientists and planners are fast realising
that the harm wrought by pesticides far outweighs their benefits and the silent switch over from chemical pesticides to bio-cides has begun. The environmental hazards associated with
effluents and chemical residues in crops and agricultural run
off is alarming. About three lakh Indian farmers lose their
lives due to pesticide poisoning. The Bhopal gas tragedy, in
which there was an accidental release of toxic gas from a
pesticide manufacturing plant, is also fresh in our mind. It is
shocking that since independence, India has dumped more
than 1 million tonnes Of DDT and BHC on arable land.
Pests damage farm produce worth Rs 6,000 crore a
year, ranging between 10 and 20 per cent of what is produced
yearly. Indications reveal that the demand for pesticides in
India is going to rise from 80,000 tonnes to 1,44,000 tonnes
annually by the turn of the century. Even such heavy application of pesticides will not increase agricultural productivity
appreciably. In fact, by AD 2000, the amount of agricultural
produce consumed by humans is expected to go down in
India. The challenge is to increase the yield without damaging
the land or human health and, at the same time, maintaining
the ecological balance. Most agricultural scientists are
emphatic that the solution lies
in a 'back to basics' approach
- that is, Integrated Pest
Management (ipm) - which
involves the use of economically and ecologically sound
pest-control techniques, like
biological control of pests, use
of natural pesticides and
organic farming without the
use of chemical insect killers.
Meanwhile, apart from
banning BHc and DDT, the
government has also announced a country-wide scheme
under which the entire agricultural land will be covered
for soil-testing to see the via-
bility of alternative methods
of pest control and for boosting productivity of food-grains. Private entrepreneurs are being encouraged to adopt
eco-friendly ipm techniques.
A wide range of plant-
derived insecticides are being
developed in India. In
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh,
farmers are intercropping cotton with crops such as soy
bean, red gram and cowpea, which repel bugs. Powdered
chrysanthamurn (Pyrethrum) is widely being used in various
parts of the country as an insecticide. Nicotine extracted
from tobacco and garlic oil are also proving to be effective
pest-control agents. Heringer Brights Research Institute,
Pune, has prepared 'Indiara', a safe herbal insecticide
from garlic, onion and mustard which is effective against
pests of more than 50 crop-varieties. Recently, two NGOS,
Prakruti and the Mumbai Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, had organised a public meeting on cultivation and consumption of
organic food. The Bawalker Earthworm Research Institute is
propogating vermiculture for sustainable agriculture. The list
is endless.
From neem-based pesticides to tomato seeds, from fish to
enzymes, biotechnology is allowing the corporate sector to
reap rich harvests. By AD 2000, the value of biotechnology
products will be around Rs 3,500 crore. But the process of the
silent switch over is bound to be gradual.
All this substantiates one fact - natural methods are
increasingly being recognised as the most healthy solution to
the pesticide problem. It is possible to have'clean' pest control
by using biocides. And new methods of agriculture prove that
sustainability and food security can go hand in hand.
Tirtho Baner ee is a journalist based in Lucknow
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