PAN Asia Pacific launches Rice Action campaign

 

Rice, the staple food of three billion people around the world, is at risk. Chemical-intensive farming practices have wreaked havoc on rice cultivation, particularly in Asia. 

Pesticide Action Network Asia/Pacific, with partners in 15 Asian countries, has launched Collective Rice Action, a campaign that will mobilize farmers, consumers and the media across Asia between January and March this year. Thousands of people will participate to celebrate and protect the strong tradition of rice cultivation around Asia. 

Industrial agriculture has resulted in poisoning people and rice fields with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, degraded soil, water and ecosystems — undermining centuries of farmer-led innovation and wisdom in rice cultivation. Traditional rice varieties, with their natural resilience and adaptation to local climates, soils and pest conditions, are being replaced en masse by hybrid varieties and genetically engineered (GE) rice. GE rice strains — with appealing names like Liberty Link and Golden Rice — pose environmental and, possibly, human health risks, and are certain to contaminate non-GE rice fields.

The Green Revolution in Asia introduced “high yielding varieties” of rice, which require large doses of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Rice consumers are put at serious risk from the use of hazardous pesticides in rice cultivation and the genetic engineering of rice seeds; while small-scale rice farming communities are among the poorest sectors in the world due to the impacts of imperialist globalization and corporate control over agriculture” says Sarojeni Rengam of PAN Asia Pacific.

This campaign to restore control of agriculture to farmers is part of PAN’s international  focus on food democracy — the human right to safe, nutritious food that has been produced under fair and just conditions. In the month ahead we'll keep you updated about the Collective Rice Action campaign in Asia. 

Costa Rica With Increased Use of Pesticides In The World

 

A group of environmentalists have deployed actions against the use of pesticides in Costa Rica, with publicity events in the local agricultural (famers) markets in Zaporta and Hatillo, held this Sunday. According to studies by the Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (IRET) - Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances, shows that the use of agrochemicals has increased without increasing the agricultural areas. In other words, more chemicals in the same meal, said Fabrián Pacheco and Gabriela Cob, spokespersons for the environmentalists.

The two indicated that the amount of imported pesticides has increased by 340% in the last 30 years. In total, the country imported over 184.817 tonnes of pesticide from 1977 to 2006. All this went to the fields where our food is grown, they said. They said therefore they have developed the campaign "PAREN DE FUMIGAR" (STOP Spraying), which provides information for both producers and consumers to educate, raise awareness and ultimately reduce the levels of pesticides in our food. Sunday's action was accompanied by posters, percussion and even elements of impact as a colourful model of a sprayer airplane. This is one of several forms of activities to develop this campaign and will be visiting various agricultural fairs in the country.

Every Saturday and Sunday agricultural fairs are held in all communities across Costa Rica, as producers bring their crops directly to the public. In San José a permanent agricultural market is held every day, in the wee hours of the morning for local vendors to buy directly from the producers. Many consumers prefer the agricultural fairs to the supermarkets to buy their fruits and vegetables, one for the lower price and second for the freshness of the product. According to Estado de la Nación (The State of the Nation) report in 2009, Costa Rica imported over 300 tons of methyl bromide formulations - a substance regulated by the Montreal Protocol which contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer of the earth. Also imported were two highly toxic substances regulated by the Rotterdam Convention.

The crop with greater use of pesticides is the melon, followed by ornamental plants, tomatoes, potatoes, pineapple and sugar cane. The pineapple still tops the list of environmental complaints in the country. In response, the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganaderia (MAG) published a manual of good practice obligatory for pineapple producers.

What can we do as consumers?

- Although washing does not eliminate from food 100% of the poison applied it is a good practice

- Demand organic food or foods with low levels of pesticide use

- Attend fairs and markets of products without poison (like in Aranjuez, San Cayetano and Escazú, for example).

- Start a home garden. Small scale organic farming has proved very efficient

- Do not be so demanding on the appearance of products. The "perfect" vegetable is often the most fumigated.

- Demand that the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health ban red label pesticides and more toxic (paraquat, endosulfan, methomyl, terbufos, methamidophos, phorate, malathion, carbofuran, ethoprophos, aldicarb, chlorpyrifos and methyl bromide)

According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) the world champions of pesticide use are:

1. Costa Rica
2. Colombia
3. Holland
4. Ecuador
5. Portugal
6. France
7. Greece
8. Uruguay
9. Suriname
10. Germany 

Karnataka bans use of Endosulfan

The Karnataka government on Thursday banned the use of endosulfan, an insecticide, with immediate effect.

This has been a longstanding demand of the people of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts, and reports have it that lobby of manufacturers prevented the introduction of such a ban for several years. 

Briefing presspersons after the State Cabinet meeting, Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya said the Cabinet discussed the harmful effects of endosulfan on the health of farmers and people living in rural areas. The government will now invoke the provisions of the Insecticides Act, 1968 (a Central act) and write a letter to the Union Government about the ban. According to the provisions, the State government can write to the Centre, by virtue of which a ban can be imposed, albeit for a brief period. Minister for Energy, and Food and Civil Supplies Shobha Karandlaje, who has been spearheading a movement seeking a ban on endosulfan, said, “I am grateful to Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and members of the Cabinet for approving the ban. It is unfortunate that the Union government is still bending to the lobby of endosulfan manufacturers. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should intervene in the matter, more so, since Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar has spoken in favour of the insecticide.” 

Kerala was the first State to ban endosulfan, on October 31, 2006.According to the Cabinet note, aerial spraying of the insecticide has resulted in several health problems such as children developing physical deformities and mental retardation, skin cancer, epilepsy, etc. Farmers are also complaining about the death of cattle for no apparent reason, and there have also been reports of fish kills.Studies on animals have shown that long-term exposure to low levels of endosulfan affects the kidneys, liver and foetuses. 

Endosulfan is primarily used during certain periods of the year. With the ban, the State can prevent its use for a period not exceeding 60 days. Aerial spraying of endosulfan was undertaken every year (from 1983) by the Karnataka Cashew Development Board in many villages in Puttur, Belthangady and Bantwal taluks in Dakshina Kannada. Over 60 countries have banned the use of this deadly pesticide after they found viable alternatives. 

Syngenta comes under fire in Burkina Faso

Syngenta's Gramoxone is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world (AFP)

by Pierre-Francois Besson, swissinfo.ch Feb 9, 2011

---

A herbicide developed by Swiss firm Syngenta, Gramoxone (paraquat), is being blamed for health problems in Burkina Faso.

The West African country is calling for the product to be placed on the Rotterdam Convention list of extremely dangerous substances. A UN treaty, the convention establishes guidelines for the use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides with a view to protecting human and environmental health.

A study conducted in June-July 2010 by the Burkina Faso authorities in collaboration with local representatives of the Rotterdam Convention, revealed the herbicide had provoked a series of health problems. These included skin lesions, fever, respiratory and vision problems if inhaled, eye burns and vision problems after contact with eyes, abdominal pain, and vomiting and paralysis following ingestion.

 

The study surveyed 650 farmers in three regions of Burkina Faso. Researchers identified 296 cases of poisoning linked to the application of pesticides. In 20 per cent of cases, paraquat, the active substance in Gramoxone, was deemed to be the cause.  Researchers noted that farmers surveyed often do not have access to materials and finances, or the know-how, necessary for the safe use of such products. In light of its impact, researchers are demanding paraquat be included on the list of banned substances in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention.The Burkina Faso government has officially transferred the request to the secretariat of the convention.

Not before 2013
 

A committee of scientific experts is due to examine the case at the end of March. If the committee upholds the survey findings, the 2013 Conference of Parties to the convention (the conference of June 2011 is too early) will decide whether or not to include paraquat in Annex III.

 

Both the Burkina Faso agriculture minister and the scientific coordinator of the study, Adama Toé, declined to comment when contacted by swissinfo.ch. In Rome, the secretariat of the Rotterdam Convention explained that the request for a pesticide formulation to be included in the list of extremely dangerous substances under Annex III is the first by a developing country since 2001.

 

A spokesman for the Bern Declaration, a Swiss non-government organisation which has long campaigned against the use of paraquat, François Meienberg, refused to be drawn on the possible outcome of the application by the Burkina Faso government.

 

But Meienberg noted that a further nine Sahel countries are also examining the possibility of banning the substance. A further indication that the product, already banned in several countries including Switzerland, raises cause for concern.

The mechanism
 

Technically, the 40 dangerous products included in Annex III are not banned. The focus is on information and collaboration, with the aim of improving transparency around imported and exported products. Their inclusion on the list means that a country must publically announce its intention to import the products ("Prior Informed Consent"). A kind of preventative approach.

 

Meienberg sees an opportunity for developing countries which have not always had the means to collect the detailed information required to make a case or take informed decisions.

 

Inscription in Annex III will lead to several countries stopping the importation of paraquat, predicts the Bern Declaration spokesman, based on his knowledge of past instances of substances being included on the list. Food labels which exclude the use of products listed in Annex III will also follow suit.

Product of the future?
 

From its Basel-based headquarters Syngenta declined to return calls for comment from swissinfo.ch. However the company presents a detailed defence of paraquat on its official website, including links to pages providing information on the correct use of the product.

 

Sygenta notes that “paraquat is and will continue to be vital in responding to growing demands for food, fibres and fuels produced by agriculture”. The Swiss firm maintains that it has information which demonstrates paraquat is safe for users, consumers and the environment.

 

The company also notes that it “engages in the promotion of the safe use of all its products, including paraquat, in the form of training programs and services. In 2007, the programs reached 3.4 million farmers across the world.” Evidently the battle surrounding the 50-year-old herbicide is far from over.

Pierre-Francois Besson, swissinfo.ch
(Adapted from French by Sophie Douez)

India resists efforts to ban pesticide

By Rama Lakshmi

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 7, 2011; 10:43 PM 

Sujata Sundaran (in blue) is 27, but her legs stopped growing at 6. Thousands of people have been disabled permanently because of sustained use of ENdosulfan. Many Indians are part of an international campaign to ban the manufacture and use of the controversial chemical, but their biggest adversary is the Indian government which has been blocking the ban. (Rama Lakshmi - Washington Post)

Abdul Hameed, 42, holds his son Suhel (16) is disabled and rapidly losing eyesight. Thousands of people have been disabled permanently because of sustained use of ENdosulfan. Many Indians are part of an international campaign to ban the manufacture and use of the controversial chemical, but their biggest adversary is the Indian government which has been blocking the ban. India is the world's largest producer, user and exporter of the low-cost pesticide. (Rama Lakshmi - Washington Post)

Thotan Jekan, 37 sprays controversial pesticide Endosulfan on the cotton and vegetable crop in his village. (Rama Lakshmi - Washington Post) 

MUDALAPARA, INDIA - When she was a child, a helicopter would buzz over Sujata Sundaran's village twice a year, spraying pesticide over the lush trees on cashew farms nearby."It was like snowflakes falling from the sky. The children would run out to look at the helicopter," she recalled, sitting in her mud hut. "At that time, we did not know it would destroy our lives." 

Sundaran, 27, said her legs stopped growing when she was about 6 years old, and her mother carries her around like a baby. Sundaran and thousands of other villagers here in the southern state of Kerala say that over the years use of a pesticide called Endosulfan left them disabled.The villagers helped force a state ban on the pesticide in 2004 and now have joined an international campaign that could result in a global ban. 

But the villagers have come up against a powerful opponent: the Indian government. India is the world's largest producer, exporter and user of the low-cost pesticide, which farmers across the rest of the country continue to use on tea, cotton, rice and other crops. Officials say a ban would jeopardize the country's food security at a time of rising demand and leave millions of farmers without an affordable alternative. 

"There are no reports of negative health impact or crop damage because of Endosulfan in any other part of India. If any fresh input comes to us, we will consider it," said Arun Yadav, the deputy minister for agriculture. "Kerala is the only place that had health concerns."The three companies that produce Endosulfan in India, including one that is partly government-owned, say European competitors are pushing for the ban. 

"The demand for banning Endosulfan in India is motivated by the vested interest of European pesticide-makers, who are interested in promoting their new patented products," Pradeep Dave, president of the Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India, said at a news conference in December.

Last week in Mumbai, Anil Kakkar, director of the Crop Care Federation of India, which works with the agrochemical industry, said a ban would "result in a replacement of Endosulfan by alternatives which are 10 times more expensive and will be damaging to the farm ecosystem, as most of these are known to be harmful to pollinators such as honeybees." The European Union, citing health concerns, has refused to import Indian tea if growers use Endosulfan. 

Doctors in the Kasaragod district of Kerala say the aerial spraying of Endosulfan over cashew farms between 1979 and 2000 has caused more than 550 deaths and serious health problems in more than 6,000 people. Three years ago, the Kerala state pollution control board reported alarming levels of chemical residue in human blood samples, soil and water in the area.

Maneka wants all states to ban endosulfan

HUBLI: MP and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi has urged the state governments to ban the use of endosulfan to protect soil fertility and crops. Speaking to reporters here at the Hubli airport en route to Haveri on Saturday, she said the use of endosulfan pesticide has proved fatal in many cases. 

"It is causing huge damage to soil fertility and crops, besides severely affecting the health of people who consume crops sprayed with endosulfan," she added. Kerala government has already banned the use of endosulfan, she said, urging the other states to follow suit. This, she said, will protect not only soil fertility, but also the lives of people.

SEEDS BILL, ORGANIC FARMING

Dubbing the proposed Seeds Bill drafted by the Centre as "anti-farmer Bill", the MP said: "We will strongly protest the implementation of the bill in the upcoming Parliament session in the interest of our farmers." She highlighted the need to change the present agricultural policy to make it more farmer-friendly. "The government should extensively popularize organic farming," the MP said.

The process of certifying organic products should be conducted properly, she said, and urged the Centre to provide marketing facilities to sell organic products in each district of all the states. When asked about the "alleged" rampant corruption in Karnataka, she said Congress has no moral right to question the government as "corruption has become too rampant at the Centre". The land de-notification and other issues have been blown out of proportion by the opposition to bring disrepute to BJP, she claimed. 

Pesticides Continue to Harm Cambodia’s Farmers

Photo: Reuters

Cambodian farmers work on the rice field in Kampong Speu province, west of Phnom Penh, (File)

A new study shows that many Cambodian vegetable farmers suffer from acute pesticide poisoning. It is the latest to indicate that Cambodia, like many other developing nations, is struggling to protect farmers and consumers from the dangers of pesticides.

Twenty-two-year-old Srey Kuot is a contract farmer who grows vegetables on a plot of land outside the capital, Phnom Penh. Like most Cambodian farmers she knows pesticides can harm her health. But, like most, she mixes several into a poisonous cocktail.

She says when she sprays pesticides she uses gloves, boots, a mask and a long shirt and trousers. If she did not, she says, it would enter her body and cause illness, which will be very difficult to cure, so she has to take precautions. But Srey Kuot has no idea what pesticides she uses because the seller at the market in Phnom Penh provides them to her and tells her how to use them.

She says the person who gives her the pesticide tells her how strong it is. And the labels for these chemicals are only in Vietnamese and Thai. A group of Danish researchers recently interviewed 89 farmers growing vegetables on outskirts of Phnom Penh. They found that 90 percent had experienced symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning.

Their report, published this month in the Journal of Toxicology, says many lack suitable protective clothing, even though about half the pesticides used by the farmers in that study are classified by the World Health Organization as Class I or Class II - which means they are moderately to extremely hazardous to human health. Some of those pesticides are banned here, but the Danish report says they are smuggled into Cambodia.

The Danish survey echoes one done in 2008 by the Pesticide Action Network, Asia and the Pacific - or PANAP. That study looked at the use of highly hazardous pesticides in eight Asian nations, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and China. The PANAP study found that two-thirds of the active ingredients used in pesticides by the 1,300 farmers surveyed had highly hazardous characteristics, and presented what the organization called "unacceptably high risks to communities".

The Danish report calls the use of "highly toxic pesticides one of the most significant hazards" for farmers in low-income countries. And it notes that in many developing countries, the widespread availability of the most hazardous pesticides has turned them into a common method of committing suicide.

Moderate pesticide poisoning can cause muscle cramps, chest pains, blurred vision, vomiting and many other symptoms. Swallowing Class I and II pesticides can be very quickly fatal. When it came to the Cambodian section of PANAP’s study, a third of farmers said they used no protective gear when spraying pesticides. And even among those who did use protective gear, none used a respirator.

Both the PANAP and the Danish studies found that none of the 95 pesticides it assessed carried labels in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, despite a law requiring Khmer labeling. Keam Makarady, an agronomist and pesticides expert at Cambodian agricultural organization CEDAC, says that is typical.

"We can say that 95 percent are labeled in a foreign language. So it is difficult for the farmer to know what kind of pesticide that they use, and also the direction for the safe use of pesticides," Makarady said.

Makarady says CEDAC and other agricultural aid groups train farmers on safer handling of pesticides, and it pays off. He says that typically 80 percent of farmers at the start of a training program use the most dangerous types of pesticides. After training, that number comes down sharply.

"But now [after trainin]) the number of farmers that use the banned and restricted pesticides or highly hazardous pesticides has decreased,” Makarady stated. “Now it’s only 10 percent." Makarady says the problem with pesticides has him so concerned that he buys only organic fruit and vegetables for his family. But buying organic is not an option for most Cambodians, because produce grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers usually is more expensive.

The Danish team says that if the government enforced its own ban on the worst pesticides, the number of farmers being poisoned would come down. The government says it is working on a new law that will punish people who import banned pesticides.However, there is no set timetable for introducing the legislation on pesticides. 

Germany to take back obsolete pesticides

The government and German aid agency GTZ will sign an agreement on Friday for safe repatriation of 74.23 tons of obsolete pesticides that have been stored in over two dozen stores across the country for the last 25 years to Germany. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) and GTZ representatives have agreed to ink the Implementing Agreement after four months of negotiations for the disposal of the pesticides which were imported from Germany for agriculture proposes. The German government has agreed to accept the pesticides in December, 2009, amid rising pressure from several quarters for safe repatriation of hazardous chemicals that have posed a serious threat to public health.

The MoE and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) would extend support for accumulation of 74.23 tons of Pesticides Organic Pollutants (POPs) -- Aldrin and Endrin -- as well as 43 cylinders of Methyle Bromide from different stores at Amlekhgunj and GTZ would provide financial support to consign them to Germany.

"Under the agreement, pesticides will be assessed, consolidated at a single store, repackaged and labeled in UN-approved containers before transporting to Germany,” a senior official at MoAC said. The source also said MoAC would provide funds for transporting the pesticides to Amlekhgunj where as MoE would undertake administrative process for clearing tax in import of necessary equipments and materials to be used in for packaging the pesticides. Experts said the cost for complete disposal of a ton of pesticides would hover around US$ 5,000. The pesticides have been stockpiled at 25 different places including Amalekhgunj, Nepalgunj, Gulariya, Surkhet, Khumaltar, Lumle, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Hetauda, Birgunj, Janakpur, Pakhribas and Gaighat.

Most of the pesticides have been kept at government offices located in the vicinity of human settlements there and are posing threats to human health and environment. "We will initiate the process for the disposal and we hope the process will be completed within four to six months,” a source at the MoE said.

The pesticides have to be disposed under temperatures of 1,200-1,500 degrees Celsius at an incinerator plant equipped with Air Pollution Control Devices (APCD) -- a facility not available in Nepal. Nepal has signed the Stockholm Convention and the Rotterdam Convention, which ban the use of certain chemicals and provide for the disposal of these chemicals by producer companies in the source countries. However, most of the companies that supplied the chemicals to Nepal have already closed down.

The POPs Enabling Project has been working to ensure proper management of the chemical stockpile with the assistance of the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Responding to a Supreme Court order about six months ago, the government expressed its commitment to completing the entire process of disposal within a year.

Indian researchers working on pesticides that use nanoparticles

Indian scientists are working on developing the next generation of pesticides that employ nanoparticles, have potentially reduced toxicity, and can dramatically slash costs and in the next few years challenge the 2,000 crore pesticide market in India.

Researchers at the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) have developed techniques to modify the molecular structure of silica, a commonly available compound, to use it as a pesticide. Silica is used in a variety of non-agricultural applications and is considered harmless to humans. To commercialize this technology, the researchers have filed for patents, tied up with a company, and secured funding from the department of biotechnology to improve their process.

Nanoparticles are ordinary elements crushed to a thousandth of the width of a human hair. At those levels, elements show dramatically altered properties—for example, some that conduct electricity become non-conductors—that scientists are now trying to apply to a variety of commercial applications. Silica, in its nanoscopic avatar and used as a pesticide, can fatally drain key lipids out of a pest. "When used this way, the volume of pesticide required to kill a pest dramatically reduces, and this can be easily washed away. When there are no residues, toxicological effects cease to be a problem,” said R.R. Sinha, an official at the department of biotechnology coordinating the project.

Scientists associated with the project say three-year-long tests have shown that pesticides in this form were effective in containing pests such as rice weevils and mustard aphids. Rice is among the biggest consumers of pesticides, followed by cotton, on which studies are yet to be done. The focus of the scientists’ research is to be absolutely sure that nanoparticles are not in any way harmful to humans.

"We have tested particles ranging from 15-60 nanometre in size on several kinds of tissue, including the spleen and liver,” said Arunava Goswami, an associate professor at ISI and the key scientist associated with the project. “However, there are some tests to be done on lung tissue and we also have to study the effects of particles below 15 nanometre to be entirely safe.”

A commercial product, though, is unlikely to hit the market before 2013, primarily because few companies have the facilities to manufacture nanoparticles in quantities above 100kg, said Goswami. "For commercial purposes, you need to manufacture in tonnes, and such facilities don’t exist yet. Also, just like genetically modified crops, there’s likely to be concerns on the health effects of nanoparticles. That’s why we’re trying to address these issues early on,” said Goswami. He added that using nanoparticles would sharply reduce the cost of manufacturing pesticides. "As an example, we need, say, 2,000 units of a pesticide to kill a certain quantity of pests, but with these nanoparticles you need only 125 units to achieve a similar results. That could dramatically cut manufacturing costs,” said Goswami.

Nathan Daniel, a chemical engineer at the University of Delhi, said several international companies were working on nanoparticle-based fertilizers that would significantly change the pesticides market. "Several patents have been filed internationally... It’s something that will be a major game changer,” he said. Studies have suggested that nanoparticles could easily lodge themselves within the body and cause respiratory problems, Mint had reported in January 2008.

In 2006, several German firms were forced to withdraw their cleaning products, all of which claimed to use nanoparticles. Many of these products caused respiratory problems. But a study by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment found that while these effects were caused by the products, none of them actually contained nanoparticles. 

K. Sridhar, a microbiologist at Mangalore University who has authored a research paper on nanotechnology pollution, said that while some studies have showed that nanoparticles have adverse health effects, most showed they had none.

Pesticide ban call for around India's Kaziranga park

Campaigners say pesticides have killed elephants and other animals in Kaziranga (Photo: Subhamoy Bhattacharjee)

Forestry officials in the north-east Indian state of Assam have demanded the creation of a no-pesticide zone around the famous Kaziranga game sanctuary. The call follows the deaths of two pregnant elephants and other animals in tea estates around Kaziranga. The national park is renowned for its varied wildlife, especially the tiger and the one-horned Indian rhino. Officials say that mammals and birds were killed after eating grass that was contaminated by pesticides. The two elephants ventured out of the park in search of food and ate grass which had been sprayed to kill red ants, officials say.

"The death of these elephants has brought the pesticide issue to the limelight, because the chemicals sprayed in tea estates are playing havoc with wildlife in our forests which are surrounded by hundreds of tea estates," said Anurag Singh, a senior forestry official in northern Assam where Kaziranga is located. The area has the highest concentration of tea estates in India. "The managements of these estates must turn to organic farming and stop spraying chemicals," Mr Singh said. 'Endangering our wildlife' He added that hundreds of birds have died in the same area as has livestock which has eaten pesticide-laced grass in recent weeks.

"The cows died in their dozens and the vultures who fed on them also died in large numbers. So you can imagine the effect on human health when consumers drink these teas," Mr Singh said. He said the forestry department was contemplating the prosecution of some tea estates if animals - especially those that are endangered - are killed by the pesticides. Local community groups also support a pesticide ban.

"The tea estates should go organic and stop spraying random pesticides. They are not only endangering our wildlife and aquatic life but also our people," said Moni Manik Gogoi, who heads a "people's committee" near Kaziranga. Some tea estate owners have also supported the call, especially those who run estates which are fully organic. "Unless we all go organic, our teas will be under a scanner and we will lose lucrative markets where consumers are very health conscious," said Binod Saharia, owner of the Gossainbarie tea estate near Kaziranga. But some planters are wary of losing out if they make the transition.

"The tea industry is so used to chemicals because they represent the easy option when combating plant diseases like halepeltis," said HS Siddhu, a veteran tea planter in Northern Assam. He said the planters should be persuaded rather than being forced to convert to organic farming.

Pesticides become a real danger in Yemen

Stores often sells expired or unapproved pesticides to farmers.

A large quantity of the Yemeni bread Injera (called Lahoh in Yemen) poisoned an entire family and village in Qadas district of the Taiz governorate.

The bread became poisoned when one housewife in al-Ashrooh village of Qadas district prepared it in the early morning of last Saturday. She bakes a large quantity of Lahoh for a lunch meal for her family members at home and sent the remaining for relatives and loved ones in the city of Taiz, said Madean al-Qadasi, founder of Qadas website.

Instead of putting food powder, she added by mistake a pesticide used in the cultivation of qat. “All family members were poisoned and transferred to nearby hospital,” said Al-Qadasi.

When the family discovered that the cause of poisoning is the substance that the woman mistakenly put in the bread, they communicated directly with the driver of the car who supposed to carry the gift of Lahoh to their relatives in Taiz city.  He was on his way, carrying a tightly closed box of Lahoh. The driver was afraid and threw the box out of his car to the side of the road.

A qat farmer spread pesticides on his crop.

A group of children were caring for livestock in that area. They found the closed box on the ground and were happy with the lunch they have assumed they found. They hurried to their mothers and show them their discovery. Their families were happy and distributed this Lahoh for all houses neighbors in their village. Everyone got sick and was transferred to the Hospital. 

 

“Those are victims of ignorance and deadly poisons became a real danger for our life,” Al-Qadasi said. “It was handled and eaten by our mothers, wives, and children.”

The entire village fell victim to the use of pesticides that fell into the hand of our mothers, wives, and children. Pesticides have become a thorny issue dealt wth by many people, huge seminars, and conferences held raising many questions for what it is, the extent of its deployment, damages, the possibility of its disposal, and who bears the responsibility of it?

The government tried to tackle this serious problem from its onset. Dr. Ali Mohammed Mujawar, the Prime Minister, has declared a savage official war on those traders attempting to bring forbidden, expired, or smuggled pesticides into Yemen in 2008. “We should fight against those unconscientious traders who destroy our food and our generations’ future,” he said.

Pesticides wreck all sorts of havoc on human and animal health in Yemen. About 17,000 Yemeni people are diagnosed with cancer each year. It is often caused by smuggled and banned pesticides used in growing qat, vegetables, and fruits. The consumption of these pesticides is one of the major causes of stomach cancer and renal failure.

Many studies conducted in Yemen warn of the huge and random quantities of illegal pesticides used in growing different plants in the country.

Pesticides have a poisonous result on people. Using such pesticides for long periods can cause serious diseases. About 30 percent of cancer patients have mouth and gum cancer resulting from the use of such pesticides in agriculture. This is one of the highest rates of this type of cancer in the world.

According to the World Health Organization, about 22,000 Yemenis are annually diagnosed with cancer and about 60 percent of this number dies from the disease. This means that 12,000 people afflicted with the disease die every year. Just 25 to 30 percent of those people could be treated, with only 10 to 15 percent of those treated people able to live more than one year, shows the WHO.

“Qat is the great scourge of Yemen,” said Abdulwas’e Ha’el, Chairman of Cancer Center. “Pesticides are the great disaster that stands behind the large increase in the number of cancer patients. It has been developed recently and was traded widely in Yemen, particularly in farms of Qat.” Most agricultural products have become a direct threat to the health of people, because of the serious pesticides, and this constitutes a significant burden on the control efforts.

In a field study, Yemen spent more than YR700 billion to import just two kinds of forbidden pesticides used for growing qat trees during the period of just four years. Pesticides also badly affect the Yemeni economy, according to Dr. Abdul-Rahman Thabet, a professor at Sana’a University. “90 percent of the total imported pesticides in Yemen are used for growing qat,” he added.

A 195 tons of prohibited and illegal pesticides were seized during the first half of 2010, according to Abdullah Al-Sayani, Director of Plant Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. “These pesticides have been stopped at the border and accumulated there to be retuned to the countries imported from,” he pointed.

China, Jordon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are the most countries that these pesticides were come from, said Al-Sayani. “These poisons turned back to the countries they were produced because they entered the country illegally and some of them are prohibited,” he added.

The Protection of Plant General Directorate in cooperation with custom authority has been able to return back five trucks containing 86 tons of illegal pesticides from al-Hodeidah Port, he indicated.

The ministry of agriculture is carrying out campaigns to reduce importing pesticides to the country as they are dangerous to human health and on environment. “During the first half of this year, the ministry has carried out 11 campaigns to inspect stores selling pesticides in Sana’a, Taiz, Ibb, Hudeidah, Dhamar and Al-Baidha’a,” revealed Al-Sayani.

The results of these campaigns were 61 stores violated pesticides law out of 139 inspected stores in targeted governorates. 4.5 tons of pesticides have been confiscated during the campaign and kept in the ministry’s stores.

101 violation reports have been made and submitted to the prosecution by the Ministry of Agriculture in their war against violators, said Al-Sayani. However, the ministry has granted three new licenses to import pesticides and renewed 14 others to importers in some governorates.

”There are several ways to smuggle these pesticides, so we can’t stop the illegal pesticides from entering Yemen,” admitted Al-Sayani. A specialized team with portable appliances has made 24 field visits to central markets of vegetables, fruits, and qat in a number of governorates to find the effect of pesticides in these products, according to recent report issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The results showed that there are different levels of effects of pesticides in these products and differ from one product to another, but qat contains the highest rate of chemicals. A specialized central laboratory launched recently in Sana’a by the Ministry to study more on the effects of pesticides, its type and danger.

Yemen imports nearly 360 tons of legal pesticides formally every year and this figure reduced from 500 tons in 2006, said al-Sayani. “Yemen is still among the countries which imports limited quantities of pesticides for agricultural production.” He argued that to improve the production, “the country still needs between 1500-2000 tons every year.” 373 types of prohibited pesticides in Yemen and there are 700 kinds of chemicals smuggled illegally, toxic items and pesticides used in agriculture and used for production of qat, media report said.

 “There is no health guarantee when they use pesticides,” said Agriculture engineer Rashad Abdulmalik.  It is a scientific fact agreed upon by experts that the misuse of pesticides is a possibility as a result of ignorance on how to handling it or as a result of negligence from a large proportion of farmers in the country that do not know how to use it.

Awareness represents the main strategy to end these deadly problem, said Abdulraqeeb moqbel, Agriculture engineer.  “The reason of spread these pesticides is the ignorance of farmers accompanied with greed that lead to diseasters,” he added. The concerned authorities must play a big role in raising awareness of the danger of these poisons that kills many humans, he advises. “The traders do not care about people’s health, but they just care about sale and profit.”

Ahmed is one of payers of pesticides said that he received hundred of people who wants to pay them. “It became like any good sale it in the market if you want. Every smuggled pesticide is more powerful and makes the qat planet grow quickly,” he said. The agriculture inspectors just need bribes to make their eyes blind.

Geting rid of pesticides is impossible in a country like Yemen that lacks many of the possibilities and means of enhancing the possibility of disposal. The best way to get rid of pesticides serious backlog is through burning them under high temperature, according to the FAO. The problem is serious and fatal danger and to end it, there must be strong official and popular efforts.

Cocktail of pesticides, medicines

Pesticides and other agro-chemicals stored in a shed near a farming house-hold at Pampadumpara in Idukki district. Photo: Roy Mathew

Cardamom cultivators in Idukki district not only use a cocktail of pesticides but also apply allopathic medicines and even liquor to the cardamom plants. Enquiries show that steroids like wysolone, antibiotics, vitamin B, aspirin and even rum are in common use along with pesticides. The farmers believe that they would check pests, aid growth and even spur flowering of the plants. A worker employed in spraying said that two millilitres of rum is added to every litre of pesticides besides other ingredients. Some farmers even use concoction of decomposing meat, eggs and other substances.

Principal Agriculture Officer of Idukki K. K. Chandran said that though allopathic medicines like steroids would initially boost growth and yield, they would damage the plant in the long run. However, the prices of cardamom have shot up in recent month and the farmers are willing to do anything to improve their yields and the quality of the pods. The persistent organic pollutant endosulfan is used in most plantations despite a ban in the State. Apart from checking a broad spectrum of pests, farmers believe that it promotes flowering.

Endosulfan is smuggled from Tamil Nadu under different names. Batches of workers from Tamil Nadu carry endosulfan with them while travelling daily by bus or jeep to Idukki district. About 1000 jeeps are plying to Kerala daily and if each of them brings in ten litres a day, they stand to gain Rs. 1000 a day per vehicle because of price differences for endosulfan in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, notes Thomas Jose, Secretary of Red Cross unit at Udumbanchola.

Professor M. Murugan notes that broad spectrum insecticides used in cardamom and tea plantations kill as many as 80 insects besides several beneficial creatures such as honey bees and ants. The chemicals used in plantations included chlorpyrifos, furadan, phorate, lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin. Resides of hexaconazole (fungicide) and endosulfan had been detected in cardamom, and DDT and its metabolates, phorates and methyl mercury in the soil in the plantations. The mercurial compounds come from a fungicide banned in Japan two decades ago. The plantations also use highly volatile and carcinogenic nitrobenzene to induce flowering.

The main reason for over use and irrational use of pesticides by the plantations were the consultants employed by them who recommend chemical treatment in liaison with manufacturers of agro-chemicals. Hardly ten per cent of the planters went by advice of the Agriculture Department, Spices Board or the Kerala Agriculture University.

When certain pesticides are combined, their effects get amplified because of synergic effect. About ten persons from Kailasappara in the district were hospitalised recently following poisoning while mixing pesticides and fungicides. Similar incidents have happened in the past also.

Pesticide shops dot small towns such as Thopramkudi in Idukki district. The pesticides are used mainly for vegetable cultivation there besides cardamom. Bitter gourd and other vegetables produced here reach even Chalai market of Thiruvananthapuram with an overdose of pesticides.

The easy availability of pesticides makes it the favoured route for those committing suicides. It also causes an increase in suicides as the means to commit suicide is available in almost all households. K. Anil Pradeep, St. John’s Hospital, Kattappana, said that his hospital had received 61 pesticide poisoning cases in 2010 (up to November). Of them, about 50 cases was the result of suicide attempts. Another hospital at Thookupalam was receiving a higher number of cases.

China Launches Crackdown on Fake Seeds, Pesticide

China's Ministry of Public Security has launched a three-month campaign to crack down on the manufacturing and selling of fraudulent seeds, pesticide and fertilizers.

"Seeds, pesticide and fertilizers are the basic materials for farmers' work. Fake farm products not only result in the reduction of output or even crop failure, but also are likely to cause environmental pollution," Vice Minister Liu Jinguo said Friday at a meeting. 

Prior to the campaign, police across the country had already solved 38 cases of manufacturing and selling fake seeds, pesticide and fertilizers, which involved about 15 million yuan (2.2 million U.S. dollars), figures from the ministry show. 

However, Liu noted that the situation was still grave as huge profits lured more people to commit such crimes and farmers usually were not aware of protecting their own rights. Further, Liu urged the country's police to spare no effort in dealing with every case, regardless of how much money is involved, and protect farmers' rights "as best as they can." 

The move is part of a national campaign to crack down on the violation of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and the production and distribution of fraudulent and shoddy products. The campaign started in November last year.

SC hospital locked down after pesticide exposure

CAMDEN, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say several hunters were sickened and four dogs died after coming in contact with pesticide in woods in Lee County.

Kershaw Health Medical Center spokeswoman Judy Ferrell told reporters the Camden hospital was briefly put on lockdown after the four of the hunters came into the hospital Thursday afternoon, but there was no danger to anyone else in the building. Authorities say the hunters became concerned after four of their dogs died after rolling in and eating the substance.

Investigators say exposure to the pesticide known as Temik can cause weakness, blurred vision, headache, nausea, sweating, and tremors. The Department of Natural Resources has blocked off the area and is trying to figure out how the pesticide got there.

Toxic culture leads to destruction of ecosystem: Vandana Shiva

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted environmental and social activist Vandana Shiva today called for a nationwide ban on the pesticide endosulfan, which has caused serious health hazards in Kerala .

"Fortunately, we have a ban on the pesticide in Kerala. But there should be a nationwide ban on endosulfan," she said, inaugurating the first Biodiversity Congress here.

Shiva said a "toxic culture" was leading to "total destruction" of the ecosystem in the country. In Punjab, the number of cancer patients was going up with the increase in the use of pesticides in farms, she said.

"Biodiversity is not just about some plants. It is about the very web of life and about how ecosystems work. Biodiversity is the very foundation of an economy that is perennial," she said.

Warning that the rise of monopolies in the field poses a threat to bioversity, she said just like cotton has become a symbol of slavery with the arrival of BT cotton, monopolies had now started out in the banana and rice sectors.

"The developed countries are designing what they call green economy which is essentially a bio-mass economy and are putting it as a model. Countries like India should articulate with vigour our own biodiversity to protect our ecosystem and knowledge system," she said.

Shiva said economy, democracy and cultural diversity of a country was dependent on biodiversity. Since the introduction of liberalisation in the nineties, 2,50,000 farmers had committed suicide in the country, she said.

Farmers are being forced to buy genetically-engineered seeds and pesticides, Shiva said, adding, "The combination means indebtedness, which leads to suicide. It is the result of a twisted way of thinking about both nature and economy." 

 

Ban Endosulfan and Paraquat now! Asia/Pacific agriculture and plantation unions join environmental groups in call to halt production

Agriculture and plantation trade unions in Asia/Pacific have joined with non-government organisations Pesticide Action Network Asia-Pacific (PAN AP) and Thanal, in calling for the banning of the toxic chemical Endosulfan. Endosulfan is linked to endocrine disruption and reproductive defects and has no antidote.

The decision was reached at the IUF Asia/Pacific regional meeting on health and safety for workers in agriculture and plantations held in Trivandrum, Kerala, India on 14-15 December 2010. The Government of India remains the only country in the world opposed to the inclusion of Endosulfan in the Stockholm Convention, which would lead to a ban.  In reaching the decision in India, unions from India and unions from other Asia/Pacific countries have issued a call to the government to ensure the basic human right to a safe workplace is ensured through the banning of this harmful chemical.

Unions at the meeting heard reports from Thanal (an environmental NGO from Kerala at the forefront of campaigns for justice of victims of Endosulfan poisoning) and PAN AP on the effects of pesticides and chemicals on agriculture workers.  Discussion also involved trade union strategies for incorporating health and safety into organising and trade union strengthening.  Unions also endorsed the global campaign for the banning of Paraquat.

“The continued used of highly hazardous chemicals, like Endosulfan and Paraquat, in agriculture and plantations occurs because workers are denied fundamental rights,” noted Ma Wei Pin, IUF Asia/Pacific regional secretary. “Agriculture and plantation workers are denied the right to know the risks they are facing and the right to negotiate regarding the use of these chemicals.”

“In the wake of global efforts to change practices to sustainable agriculture and better ecological farming, it is high time agriculture is made as safe as possible for farming and working communities. Nations need to change with the times, and commit to a phase out of Endosulfan and Paraquat and other highly hazardous pesticides” said Sarojini Rengam, Executive Director, PAN AP.

Kristina Olssen, international secretary of the IUF affiliate Kommunal who attended the meeting as a guest noted, “Our union was active in the successful banning of Endosulfan in Sweden in 1995 and our union welcomed the subsequent European Union ban.  Our union was clear on the negative and harmful effects of Endosulfan and believes all workers throughout the world should be able to work in an environment free of this toxic chemical.”

C Jayakumar noted, “We look forward to working with trade unions globally through the IUF in making the world toxic free.”

A joint press release from IUF Asia/Pacific, Thanal and PAN AP is available here.

Participants to the IUF Asia/Pacific regional meeting of agriculture and plantation unions, Trivandrum 14-15 December 2010.

Call for global ban on Endosulfan

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Asia-Pacific regional meeting of the International Union of Food workers (IUF) demanded a global ban on Endosulfan — an insecticide used in plantations — on Thursday.

Representatives of agricultural trade unions and plantation workers attending the two-day meeting here urged India to support the inclusion of Endosulfan in the Stockholm convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The unions called for a global ban also on Paraquat — a toxic chemical with no antidote — the use of which has been associated with Parkinson's disease.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Regional Secretary of the IUF-Asia/Pacific Ma Wei Pin said India was the only country to adopt an anti-worker position by opposing the inclusion of Endosulfan at international conventions. India should recognise its role as global steward, being the country with one of the largest populations of agriculture and plantation workers.

The regional secretary said employers had a responsibility to clean up the pollution they had caused, while governments regulate the process. C. Jayakumar of Thanal said this meant that the Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd. (PCK) had a responsibility to institute an environmental clean up in Kasaragod district.

Jasper Gross, research officer, IUF, Asia/Pacific, told the media that pesticides and chemicals fundamentally had a negative and harmful effect on workers. So, the issue was of the right of workers for a safe working environment. It had been clearly shown that Endosulfan had negative effects, he said. Dr. Gross said now a quarter of their incomes went towards health care. If pesticides were eliminated, it would, in effect, improve their earnings.

Sarojeni Rengam, executive director of Pesticide Action Network, Asia/Pacific, said governments and plantation employers were being unduly influenced by pesticide manufacturers to persist with the totally unnecessary practice of using hazardous chemicals.

Christina Olsson from Sweden said her union of Swedish Municipal Workers, Kommunal, played an active role in the banning of Endosulfan in Sweden in 1995. The core theme of the meeting was Health and Safety of Agriculture and Plantation Workers, with special focus on Endosulfan, Paraquat and other hazardous pesticides.

Congress in Kerala demands nationwide ban on endosulfan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress in Kerala today demanded a nationwide ban on endosulfan, in view of the serious health problems caused to the residents in Kasargode district, due to aerial spraying of the pesticide in state-owned plantations 20 years back.

The Agriculture Ministry's stand on the issue came in for sharp criticism at the executive meeting of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) held here today. Briefing reporters on the state unit's stand, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala told reporters the meeting resolved to urge the Centre to impose a country-wide ban on the pesticide.

It also wanted India to mobilise the opinion of the international community against the pesticide at the next Stockholm Convention on non-organic pesticides. Meanwhile, state leaders of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today said they had obtained an assurance from Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar that agriculture scientist C D Mayee would be removed from the panel set up to study the endosulfan issue.

After meeting Pawar in New Delhi, NCP state president A C Shanmughadas told reporters that the Minister had promised formation of a new panel, headed by a health expert. Appointment of Mayee had sparked strong criticism in Kerala, with politicians cutting across party lines alleging that an earlier panel on which he was a member had given clean chit to endosulfan.

Pro-Congress lawyers' forum, Indian Lawyers Congress had last week urged the Centre to remove Mayee from the panel. Aerial spraying of endosulfan in cashew estates of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala had allegedly caused serious health problems to scores of people in parts of Kasargode district.

Taking a serious view of their plight, the LDF Government in Kerala has announced a relief package for the victims. All political parties and several NGOs and charity organisations like Amritha Mutt have come out openly against endosulfan.

Indian officials push Dow to pay $1.1bn to Bhopal victims

 

On Dec. 6, three days after the anniversary of the 1984 Bhopal pesticide plant explosion, India’s Attorney General asked the country’s supreme court to force Dow Chemical to pay $1.1 billion in compensation to victims, reports the Wall Street Journal. The move follows on persistent advocacy and recent trials in India

and around the world to hold Dow accountable for the liabilities of Union Carbide, acquired by Dow in 2001. The tragedy is now estimated to have caused 20,000 deaths and some 500,000 injuries.

Dow maintains that the two companies are separate, and that it has no responsibility for the toxic legacy of Bhopal. U.S. State Dept. spokesperson P. J. Crowley has stated that Bhopal is a closed case. In response, the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal has been calling on President Obama to intervene “to publicly recognize the ongoing nature of this disaster, and to demand that Dow Chemical [and] Union Carbide Corporation ... respect the jurisdiction of Indian courts and allow the law to take its course.” Satanath Sarangi, head of Sambhavna Clinic serving Bhopal survivors, declared: "The US government had taken stern action against British Petroleum in the oil spill case in which only 11 people were killed but they never acknowledged the worst industrial disaster caused by an American company."

Since 1998, December 3 has been marked by Pesticide Action Network groups around the world as a “Day of No Pesticide Use,” in honor of the Bhopal victims. This year, PAN Asia Pacific decided to extend the campaign as “No Pesticides Use Week,” culminating on December 10, World Human Rights Day, highlighting “the continuing inability of the concerned governments in bringing the perpetrators of the crime to justice”. PAN groups in the Philippines and eight other countries are participating, united in focusing specifically on the impact on women of highly hazardous pesticides, and promoting sustainable and organic agriculture in place of pesticide use.

Kasargod: Anti-endosulfan Agitation Gains Momentum – Corporation MD Suspended

Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (SP)

Kasargod, Dec 11: In an affidavit filed in Kerala High Court, Kerala Horticultural Products Development Corporation, stated that it does not have the responsibility of paying compensation to the people suffering from side effects of endosulfan use. Endosulfan is a controversial insecticide and acaricide, blatant use of which in areas inhabited by humans, is said to have caused miseries in them including disproportionate growth of body parts, paralysis, death, debility, birth of babies with deformities, tuberculosis etc.

The said insecticide was in use mostly in cashew plantations, where it was sprinkled through helicopters in the past. There have been long-drawn protests for banning endosulfan use, and for the payment of compensation to the families of deceased and the suffering in this connection.

The corporation said that use of endosulfan, which is a registered insecticide under section 9 of Insecticide Act, cannot have any side effects. In the affidavit, managing director of the corporation, N K Manoj, said that the corporation had not violated any provisions of the concerned acts, in using the said drug. He further asserted that the drug, which was used by the corporation till the year 2000, was a good insecticide, and that every care was taken by the corporation before deciding to sprinkle it on the cashew plantations.

The fact that successive delegations deputed by the union government for examining side effects of endosulfan use have given green signal for its use, has angered the families of sufferers and the general public alike. Protesting against the above statemenent, BJP Kasargod district committee, laid siege to the Perla divisional office of the said corporation on Friday. When the policemen stopped the protestors numbering around 100, some of them pelted stones at the office. Two policemen were injured in stone pelting incident, and a BJP activist, Satish Kumble, was seriously injured in caning by the policemen.

The district unit of Democratic Youth Federation of India too protested against the statement of Manoj, by leading a procession to the office of the corporation in Bovikkana. When the policemen stopped them at the gate, tension gripped the area for some time.

In the meanwhile, Kerala minister for agriculture, Mullakkara Ratnakaran, said that N K Manoj has been suspended for filing pro-endosulfan statement in the High Court. Speaking to reporters, he said that the official had not consulted the board before filing the statement. He promised to file an ammended statement in this connection, in the High Court.