The Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators’ Association of India (PMFAI) has alleged that the move by the European Union (EU) to push for a global ban on Endosulfan – a broad-spectrum pesticide active ingredient – was intended at benefiting the European crop protection industry.
“Though the EU region accounts for only 8 per cent of the world's agricultural land, it is a world leader in chemical and pesticide trade. However, its stake in the global Endosulfan market has reduced drastically over the years. Patented pesticides are being promoted by EU in recent years in order to replace the demand for Endosulfan. There are concerted efforts to manoeuvre trade through international conventions and trade restrictive practices,” PMFAI president Pradip Dave, said.
The global crop protection industry is worth $40 billion and the top three companies alone account for over 50 per cent of this market. All these three companies, Dave said, were European.
“The EU has been pushing for a global ban on Endosulfan by proposing to list it in the Stockholm Convention as a persistent organic pollutant (a toxic substance that is not biodegradable and persists in the environment). If accepted, it would be against the interests of Indian farmers and farmers in the developing world,” he added.
Dave said in case of a ban, Indian cultivators, much like those in developing nations, would be forced to purchase patented European pesticides at very high prices. For instance, Imidachloprid, a product touted as a replacement to Endosulfan costs Rs 2,000 per litre, while other alternative pesticides such as Thiamethoxam costs Rs 3,200 per litre and Coregen Rs 700 a litre. Endosulfan costs Rs 200 per litre.
