Pesticides in Rural Prosperity: Perceptions and Ground Realities (Part 2)

Farmers’ way of using pesticides and response of consumer

Pesticides though play a greater role in managing plant pests, yet their irrational use has led to health hazards and polluting environment and ecosystem, In fact, use of pesticides, started with introduction of high- yielding, high-nitrogen-responsive varieties since 1966 making the beginning of Green Revolution. Since then, this became the practice of the farmers to use pesticides abundantly aimed at excellent control without bothering for its consequences to man and environment. Certain  farmers in  the process without bothering for hazards,  have been applying carbofuran and other granular insecticides in the soil before planting brinjal and okra, with the hope that the application will keep these two vegetable crops free from pest invasion – primarily from shoot- and fruit-borer, which is wrong. Similarly, spraying pesticides on leafy vegetables is cruelty against humanity as along with leafy vegetables man is getting poison. Therefore common man has all the reasons to believe that pesticides are responsible for various kind of hazards.

Pesticides became the target of environmentalists in view of their reckless use and consequent impact on humans and environment and therefore critics have reasons for criticizing pesticides. endosulphan causing severe neurological problem in kasorgarh (Kerala), Bhopal tragedy due to leakage of MIC from carbaryl plant affecting the newly-born till today from the affected population and; crippling of children due to treated seeds with mercurial fungicides tells horrifying tales. These issues certainly become a matter of serious concern   but it is all due to reckless use which poses threat to man and animal and environment. The future generation is not going to pardon us. Pesticides undoubtedly play a greater role in managing pests but severely affect bio-diversity. In fact, use of agrochemicals, which include chemical fertilizers and pesticides, were used in high- yielding, high-nitrogen-responsive varieties since 1966 making the beginning of Green Revolution. Since then, this became the practice of the farmers to use indiscriminately without bothering for its consequences to man and environment.
 
Perception and role of Media

Surprisingly media has not been vibrant in reporting the multiple benefits of pesticides. On the contrary, certain mishaps arising due to negligence of people at the helm of affair has been given wide publicity. Use of endosulphan in Kerala has created furor due to unprecedented health hazards leading to neurological problem in children which led to ban of the pesticide in Kerala. Bhopal tragedy due to emission of MIC led to multiple disabilities and in the affected population and in many cases, the newly born comes with various kinds of deformities. Worst of them has been crippling amongst affected kids due to handling of wheat seed treated with   organo-mercurial fungicide in 1970s in Iraq. There are several such incidents, which have been projected very strongly in media, without critically analyzing the reason of incidents. Now the big question before us is – whether pesticides are really responsible for hazards or its man’s folly which has created these problems? Lets probe and see what best can be done for the society.

Public perception

Common man, mostly consumers know that pesticides are poison, and their use in protecting fruits   and vegetables from various kind of diseases and disorders could be hazardous, and to the large extent, they are right, but careful handling, storage and judicious use may help in keeping pest at bay, with no adverse effect on biodiversity.

Though Central insecticide Act exists, which regulates manufacture, packaging, and marketing, yet there is ample scope of adulteration by simply reducing the active ingredient and thereby cheating the farmers. Even quality control division appears biased in sampling the pesticides for quality. But the fact is that spurious pesticides often supplied by the local aarathi one selling the grains, fats and other daily needs.

Now look critically about consumption of pesticides in India and compare consumption of pesticide use, which is approx 500 g/hectare is too small as compared to those in developed nations such as UK, USA, China and Japan and therefore I leave it to you think and ponder whether such low amount can pose threat to environment. In India 229 pesticide are registered as against 5487 in China. Of 229 pesticides, fungicides are hardly 39 in number. Further amongst different classes of pesticides, fungicides in India are consumed around 10 per cent of the total pesticides while insecticide and herbicide consumption is many folds higher, and as such, the blame that squarely goes to pesticides cannot be assigned to fungicides. In fact most of the hazards faced by the society are due to indiscriminate use of insecticides. In other Asian countries too use of insecticides is going beyond 60 per cent of the total pesticides, which is not the situation in western world, and therefore a course correction is required.

Perceptions & Ground realities

Pesticides, the pest killers are poisonous entities and to be used with utmost care. LD50 values are indicative of their toxicity. For common man toxicity of pesticide is reflected by colored triangles – green denoting less toxic while red as extremely toxic. Pesticides most frequently responsible for hazard are organochlorine organophosphates and carbamates insecticides. Fungicides, conversely do not pose much hazards except organo-mercurials.  It may, however, be clearly understood that there are many commodities including beverages and drugs whose LD50 is comparable with pesticides.  Should we then blame pesticides for hazards or users for reckless use? However, presence of residues in agricultural produce – particularly fruits and vegetables, milk and eggs has become a matter of concern. There is sufficient evidence that it is a widespread phenomenon and that too with insecticides but again a man made problem for his selfish gain ignoring the principle of ‘safe use of pesticides’. As such, there is a need to sensitize growers and bring a change in their mindset towards mankind during pesticide application. The pesticides contaminate the Pesticides contaminate the atmosphere through wind drifts during spraying through evaporation of active ingredients from soil surface and through wind erosion of contaminated soil.. Unfortunately banned chemicals like Aldrin (spelled as Alldrin) is on sale though it has been banned.

Endoosulphan causing irreparable losses in Kasorgarh (Kerala) to kids in the recent past is horrifying and cannot be forgotten. No one can forget the Bhopal tragedy due to leakage of MIC affecting life of several hundred people including children suffering from various deformities. Even worst has been mercurial fungicides, which caused various deformities, and death of children in 1970s and later in Iraq. Entry of spurious pesticides has added fuel to fire for which Punjab farmers are crying since August/September 2015 for compensation for failure of cotton crop in Haryana and Punjab. In India the market of spurious pesticides is estimated at INR 1200 crore.

Most of the pesticides more so of insecticides in general cause long term disturbance of the ecosystem. Beneficial insects and other antagonists get destroyed. One of the greatest concerns in recent years has been development of resistance against various pesticides in insects and plant pathogen and thereby resulting in unsatisfactory control. The first case of resistance to pesticide was detected in 1914 and now this number has swelled beyond 700 hundred or so. Resistance development in plant pathogens too have become a common phenomenon due to increasing availability of systemic fungicides (Brent, 1987). The greater vulnerability of systemic fungicides to the development of resistance is associated with their highly specific single site toxicity (Georgopulas, 1986). The rapid development of resistance to benzimidazoles and phenylamides by several pathogens was associated with sudden failure in disease control in ‘Single step manner’. Resistance of pathogens to 2-amino-pyridine fungicides and demethylation inhibitors has been gradual ‘Multi step type’.  If carefully used and monitored pesticides resistance can be managed by sequential and rotational use, by following the guidelines provided by Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) and similar committees on insecticides and herbicides (Srivastava, 1998).