India To Ban 27 Harmful Insecticides Used By Farmers That Are Already Banned In Many Countries

The Government is set to ban the usage of over 27 insecticides which are presently allowed to be used in India, despite having long been banned in many other nations across the globe because of the threat they pose to human and animal health, reports The Times of India.

A draft proposal for the same was issued by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare seeking objections or suggestions from the stakeholders within a span of 45 days. It is expected that the government will issue the final order in this regard in July.

Once the ban comes into force, no person or institution in India will be allowed to import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribute, or use these insecticides. These include insecticides like Acephate which is already banned in 32 nations, Atrazine which is toxic to fish and other aquatic species, Benfuracarb which is also banned in 28 nations, and several more.

It should be noted that the crackdown on the usage of these harmful insecticides comes as a follow up to the government's earlier move to ban 18 pesticides. Twelve of the 18 pesticides were banned with immediate effect upon the issuance of the August 2018 order, while six other pesticides will be put out of use after 31 December 2020.