Indian government restricts use of herbicide glyphosate due to safety concerns

In an order released on 25th of October 2022, the Indian government restricted the use of chemical Glyphosate in India, fearing risk to human and animal health. From now, glyphosate will be applied only through pest control operators (PCOs).

PCOs are licensed to use deadly chemicals for treating pests such as rodents. A formal gazette notification on the restriction was issued last night, more than two years after a draft on the same was circulated for comments and views.

Though the official order did not mention it explicitly, many experts believe it is intended to curb the rampant spread of glyphosate by farmers.

Glyphosate and its formulations are widely registered and are currently used in over 160 countries, including the European Union and the United States. Farmers around the world have been using it for more than 40 years for safe and effective weed control.

Glyphosate has been majorly used in tea plantations in India where it is applied to control herbicides. The chemical is also used on non-crop areas to control unwanted growth.

These include areas alongside irrigation channels, railway sidings, fallow land, bunds, farm borders, parks, industrial and military premises, airports, power stations, etc.

Activists said traces of glyphosate have been even found in crops such as chana where farmers use it to desiccate the produce.

The use of glyphosate rose manifold once Ht BT cotton started getting illegally cultivated in India.

To implement the order, all certificates of registration for the chemical that companies have to get for its manufacture or sale have now to be returned to the registration committee.

The order says if any company fails to return the registration certificates within three months, appropriate action will be taken under the Insecticides Act of 1968.

Glyphosate is already banned in some states.

The final notification banning glyphosate comes two years after the ministry issued a draft on July 2, 2020. The draft was released following a report by the Kerala government to ban the distribution, sale and use of this weed killer.

Opposing the move, Kalyan Goswami, Director General, Agro-Chemical Federation of India (ACFI), said, ″Glyphosate-based formulations are very safe to use. It has been tested and verified by leading regulatory authorities across the world including India.

He also said that ″there is no argument to limit the use of glyphosate only through Pest Control Operators (PCOs) who have no presence in rural areas″.

He said that limiting its use through PCOs would inconvenience the farmers and also increase the cost of cultivation.