Exports may dip as endosulfan comes under UN scanner

The inclusion of pesticide endosulfan, used widely in cotton, in an international trade watch list could hurt its exports, a top official of the pesticide maker said.

Last week, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations said that a committee of worldwide experts had taken steps to include endosulfan in the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure under the Rotterdam Convention.

Rotterdam Convention is an international treaty designed to ensure that hazardous chemicals do not endanger human health and environment.

"Once it (endosulfan) is included in PIC, its exports will be difficult, as we will have to take permission from importing countries," said Dipesh Shroff, managing director, Excel Crop Care.

Excel Crop Care is the world's leading manufacturer of endosulfan. This pesticide is used in cotton, soybean, tea, and vegetables.

Pesticides and industrial chemicals included in the PIC procedure under the convention can be traded only upon agreement by the importing country. In India, environmentalists and the agro-chemical or pesticide industry have been at loggerheads over the safety of endosulfan, a general-purpose pesticide.

Worries about the safety of this pesticide emerged after reports of incidence of deformities and diseases in Padre, a village in Kerala's Kasargod district following the use of endosulfan in 2001.

The Kerala government banned the use of the pesticide prompting the Endosulfan Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India to file a case to lift the ban on the pesticide. The committee of experts has recommended the pesticide for trade watch list on the grounds that it poses "unacceptable risks" to workers and the environment.

However, the pesticide industry has been maintaining that endosulfan is widely used around the world and has not had any health implications.

"Endosulfan is one of the safest pesticides and farmer-friendly. It destroys harmful pests without killing beneficial insects," said Rajjubhai Shroff, chairman and managing director, United Phosphorus.

According to Pradip Dave, president, Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association, farmers are keen on using endosulfan, as its beneficial effects are known to them as opposed to any new molecule that may be introduced in its place.

It controlled a wide range of sucking and chewing insects and pests that attack crop and did not leave residues in the soil, water and plants, Excel Crop Care said. "Endosulfan is a major molecule, so it attracts a lot of attention, both negative and positive," Shroff of Excel Crop Care said.

The country's pesticide industry produces 15 million litre of endosulfan annually. It is manufactured by three companies "� Excel Crop Care, Hindustan Insecticides and Coromandel Fertilisers.

Exports of endosulfan, used widely around the world, could be impacted, as manufacturers would be forced to seek approval from the importing country.

"Though there is no panic, seeking approval from each of the importing country would result in procedural delays," Shroff said.

Excel Crop Care may look at shifting some of its capacities to the importing countries.