Do you think that the government’s recent proposal to ban certain agro-chemical fertilizers is in line with the development of agricultural sector? Comment (200 Words)
Refer - Business Standard
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 4 years
KEY POINTS
· The agriculture ministry’s proposal to ban 27 commonly used plant protection chemicals is ill-timed and economically untenable. The plan, triggered by disputable environmental and health concerns, has evoked sharp criticism from all stakeholders in the agro-chemicals sector, including the industry and farmers.
· These 27 products, accounting for some 20 per cent of the country’s agro-chemicals output, include many broad-spectrum molecules that are used extensively to control a variety of pests, diseases, and weeds.
· Many of them have been in use for decades without causing any perceptible harm to the environment, biodiversity, or human and animal health. They also constitute a sizeable part of the agro-chemicals exports.
· Significantly, the farmers and their organisations are backing the industry in contesting this proposal because most of the identified products are generic pesticides and, therefore, far cheaper than their patented alternatives.
· Discarding the highly useful and inexpensive pesticide, DDT, can be a case in point. The malaria-eradication programme, which had made considerable headway in controlling mosquitoes, had collapsed due to this hasty and ill-judged step.
· The proposed phasing out of the versatile pesticide Malathion can potentially have a similar wide-ranging impact on the agricultural sector. Of particular concern in this case is the ongoing battle against the dreaded locusts, which, coming from mostly Pakistan and Iran, have penetrated right up to Madhya Pradesh and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra after playing havoc with vegetation in parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
· Malathion is the key chemical for its control. Interestingly, the agriculture ministry itself is procuring large quantities of Malathion for the locust control programme even after deciding to ban it.
· No doubt, the truly hazardous molecules, carrying the red tag, should be abandoned straightaway. But the others need to be retained till their cost-effective and equally efficient generic substitutes are available. The need is to strike a balance between the economic and environmental concerns.
Aradhana Tiwari 4 years
The chemical fertilizers and pesticides (commonly known as "agro-chemical fertilizers") have important role in crop production but recently there appeared many problems, which led our govt. to propose the ban of 27commonly used plant protection chemicals.
>>> Need for proposal to ban certain agro-chemical fertilizers :
- their excessive use has led to the problem of air, water and soil pollution means they are detrimental to environment and human health.
- the escalating problem of cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, malnutrition and susceptibility to infectious diseases is owing to excessive use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.
- use of agro-chemical fertilizers in commercial cultivation of medicinal plants, may affect their growth and therefore, use of biofertilizers and bio-pesticides are advised.
>>> Challenges in the path of ban :
- Discourage farmers from being the beneficiaries of schemes like Rythu Bandhu -provides investment support to farmers to buy fertilizer and other inputs. This will further leads to increasinging the stress on farmers.
- Banning the affordable agro-chemicals fertilizers would "affect food security" as it would lead to further increase in cost of cultivation for farmers.
- It means proposal to ban is "ill-timed and economically untenable" because it may gravely hurt the farm sector, which has stood out as a silver lining in the coronavirus-battered economy.
- the ban would not only hurt farmers, but also industrialists and export sector- as it has come at a time when the government is promoting ‘Make in India’ and has announced stimulus to make the country self-reliant.
- the spray of high-intensity "malathion" insecticide helped in killing almost the entire "swarm of insects- Locust" at the pasture land and the proposal of ban of this may exagarrate locust invasion.
>>> Way Ahead :
- The need of the time is to apply these agro-chemical fertilizers as per need of the crops and following proper way because we have reached a point, where we cannot stop using these to grow enough food for the burgeoning population.
- accelerating the transition from chemical to biological agriculture is a need whose time has come.
- organic farming - uses natural or organic fertilizers which are more eco-friendly, needs to be promoted.
>>> Conclusion :
For a sustainable cropping patterns, we need to encourage balanced use of all fertilizers, which is a necessary step to change the incentive regime that encourages excessive use of agro- chemical fertilizers.
IAS Parliament 4 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
Sandeep 4 years
Kindly review
IAS Parliament 4 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
Sanjeev Kumar Singh 4 years
Kindly give feedback
IAS Parliament 4 years
Good attempt. Try to mention about Malathion and locust attack. Keep Writing.
