These problems have been revealed in the reports submitted by central teams sent to states to carry out audit of state pesticides testing laboratories (SPTLs).
The reports point out that many laboratories lack requisite sophisticated equipment for accurate quality analysis.
Where such equipment was available, it was generally non-functional. Besides, many laboratories just followed routine methods of analysis which did not provide correct results. The analysts too were not properly trained.
The data collected by the agriculture ministry revealed that 35 per cent of all the pesticides samples tested by the Faridabad-based Central Insecticides Testing laboratory in 2002-03 were found to be sub-standard.
However, the state laboratories could detect the problem in only 3 per cent of the samples. The regional pesticides testing laboratories found 22 per cent of all the samples tested in 2002-03 to be sub-standard.
The ministry had suggested to the states that they get get all SPTLs accredited with the National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration laboratories (NABL) under the department of science and technology. This department has also sent necessary guidelines for NABL certification.
However, few states have responded to the problem or the advice. The ministry was now considering to make the NABL accredition manadatory for laboratories qualified to test or analyse samples for pesticides.
The Centre has been providing grants-in-aid to states for upgrading facilities at existing testing laboratories and setting up of new laboratories since the 8th Plan.
A large part of this grant has been lying unutilised because states did not sent proposals for claiming the grants. Many also failed to fully utilise allotted funds.
Consequently, of the total Rs 9 crore allocated by the Centre in the 8th and 9th plan for strengthening infrastructure for detection of pesticides, only Rs 6.8 crore was actually be released to states. Of this, Rs 2.74 crore has remained unspent till now, according to the agriculture ministry.
