Parliament Question: Excessive Use of Pesticides on Crops

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1524 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29TH JULY, 2025 EXCESSIVE USE OF PESTICIDES ON CROPS

1524. SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण म(cid:287)ं ी be

pleased to state:-

(a) whether cases of fatal diseases like cancer is on the rise in the country due to excessive use of pesticides on crops;

(b) if so, the details thereof and steps taken by the Government to prevent the same;

(c) whether the Government has launched/proposes to an awareness programme for the farmers about harmful effects of excessive use of pesticides on crops in the country;

(d) if so, the details thereof and work done in this regard; and

(e) whether the Government is also considering to educate the farmers about alternate methods in place of use of harmful pesticides like organic farming, mix farming etc., to increase their produce and at the same time stay away from harmful pesticides and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

(a) to (e): Pesticides are allowed for use in the country only after ensuring the efficacy and safety of the pesticides to prevent risk to human beings or animals or environment and for matters connected therewith. Based on the studies and field trials conducted at State Agriculture Universities/ICAR institutes, Registration Committee (RC) constituted under section 5 of Insecticides Act, 1968, approves the details of doses, crops, precautionary measures, antidotes etc on Label and Leaflets. The registered pesticides if used as per Label and Leaflets do not pose any harm to human beings, animals and environment. However, no specific report has been received in this Ministry on rise of cases of fatal diseases like cancer in the country due to excessive use of pesticides on crops.

Further, the Government of India promotes the strategy of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which envisages pest management through cultural, mechanical and biological methods to prevent the excessive use and improper handling practices of chemical pesticides and only need based judicious use of chemical pesticides is suggested as last resort. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through its Central Integrated Pest Management Centers (CIPMCs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and State Agriculture Departments conduct various training programs to create awareness among farmers about use of alternate methods like Bio-pesticide, Bio- stimulants, Organic farming, Mix farming in place of use of harmful pesticides to increase their production. Also, simplified guidelines have been formulated by the RC for the registration of bio- pesticides, along with permission for commercialization during the provisional registration period of two years. The state-wise details of training programmes conducted by CIPMCs is enclosed as Annexure-I.Annexure-I Awareness campaigns on Safe & Judicious Use of pesticides conducted by CIPMCs during 2024-25 State Name of CIPMC 2024-25 No. of Participants campaigns Haryana Faridabad 19 666 Himachal Pradesh Solan 3 55 J&K Jammu 6 231 Srinagar 4 164 Punjab Jalandhar 52 1134 Uttar Pradesh Lucknow 60 1976 Gorakhpur 20 1340 Agra 25 600 Uttarakhand Dehradun 17 455 West Bengal Kolkata 19 425 Odisha Bhubaneswar 15 576 Bihar Patna 16 365 Jharkhand Ranchi 48 817 Andaman and Nicobar Portblair 2 41 Assam Guwahati 41 1173 Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar 39 353 Meghalaya Shillong 8 231 Manipur Imphal 8 289 Mizoram Aizwal 14 419 Nagaland Dimapur 9 317 Tripura Agartala 7 170 Karnataka Bengaluru 24 1093 Telangana Hyderabad 35 842 Andhra Pradesh Vijayawada 11 493 Kerala Ernakulam 20 594 Tamil Nadu Trichy 64 2017 Maharashtra Nagpur 22 787 Nasik 11 519 Madhya Pradesh Indore 5 160 Morena 15 857 Gujarat Vadodara 3 143 Goa Madgaon 1 48 Chhattisgarh Raipur 15 613 Rajasthan Sriganganagar 18 299 Jaipur 38 761 Churu 4 178 Barmer 1 35 Suratgarh 1 35 TOTAL 720 21271 *****