PARLIAMENTARY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
OF MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
The Government has launched a scheme
to promote the judicious use of pesticides in the country. The
scheme known as Integrated Pest Management has been adopted as
national strategy for efficient use of pesticides taking into
consideration economical and global concerns about the harmful
impact on the environment. Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative
Committee Meeting attached to his Ministry, the Minister of Chemicals
and Fertilizers Shri S.S. Dhindsa said that under the Scheme crop
specific packages are developed and are promoted for farming community.
Shri Dhindsa informed the meeting that the pesticides industry
was de-licensed in the early 1990s as part of the liberalisation
process. Pesticides has been placed in the Open General List (OGL)
for the purpose of imports. He also informed that there are no
control on the movement of pesticides within the country and no
licenses are required for setting up manufacturing units.
A presentation was made on the "Emerging
Trends in the Pesticides Industry". The conclusions of the presentation
are following:
- In the next decade, the Indian pesticide industry
will see a major shake out which will leave a few MNCs and few
leading Indian companies at the top.
- Manufacturing standards are likely to be implemented
more rigorously.
- New bio-pesticides will be introduced. Therefore,
research in this sector would receive more attention.
- There is a need to train a larger number of extension
workers and staff in proper application of pesticides.
- India-based companies should be able to capture
a large share of the world market for off-patent pesticides.
- There will be a gradual shift towards pesticides
that are user and environment friendly.
- The issue of monitoring of pesticide residues
in food and agricultural commodities will occupy an important
position both in domestic sales and export of agro-based products.
The Members drew the attention of
the Minister to the reports on the spread of unusual illness allegedly
caused by spread of Endosulfan in some areas of North Kerala.
Shri Dhindsa said that an Inter-Ministrial expert group has been
set up to examine the issue at length. The group will study all
aspects of use of Endosulfan. Members desired that there should
be a regulatory mechanism to maintain uniform prices of pesticides
in the country. They also emphasised the need to propagate bio-pesticides.
The Minister of State for Chemicals
and Fertilizers Shri Tapan Sikdar, Members of Parliament S/Shri
A.C.Jose, Ashok Kumar Singh Chandel, Mahendra Prasad, Manoj Bhattacharya
and Ms. Alka Sen Kshatriya were present in the meeting.
