Apex body for the Indian crop protection industry, the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) has requested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to review the National Green Tribunal’s order of June 26, 2020 that directs the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to devise an action plan to minimize harmful effects of pesticides on human health and soil. The Tribunal asked the CPCB to complete the exercise in coordination with the state pollution control boards.

 

In a letter to the Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, CCFI has highlighted the way an ‘activist’ has misguided the NGT on a matter involving the use of pesticides. “The main complaint/grievance of the petitioner is that 7 lakh hectares of the agricultural lend in the Aligarh division of Uttar Pradesh has gone barren following use of pesticides. Without examining the truth and veracity of this false and malicious complaint, the NGT allowed its jurisdiction to be invoked, issued notices, conducted the proceedings and gave judgment on 26th June 2020,” the letter reads. 

 

Citing examples with crop production statistics from the Aligarh division, the Federation argues that ‘it is scientifically incorrect to allege that pesticides use makes agricultural lands to turn barren’.

 

Quoting the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare’s statistics for the four districts of the Aligarh division, CCFI states that the production of potato, wheat and sugarcane witnessed the growth of 24%, 80% and 61% respectively between 2014-15 to 2018-19. Similarly, the yields (tons/ha) also grew by 38%, 78% and 38% respectively during the same period. 

 

“Empirical evidence shows that there is a steady and significant growth in both production and yield of all major crops in the past five years…It is clear that the petitioner had completely misled the NGT,” CCFI wrote in the letter. 

 

The Federation also states that both the respondents: Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ‘failed to produce these crop production statistics available in the government record. 

 

Hence, CCFI ‘seeks strong penalty be imposed by the NGT on the petitioner for having misled the Tribunal’. The CPCB may drop the additional environmental monitoring measures contemplated consequent to the petition and NGT’s order, the Federation urges to the Minister. 

 

It was reported that the order from NGT came after Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare told the Tribunal that non-judicious and indiscriminate use of pesticides may adversely affect human health and environment. "It is apprised that, the insecticides/pesticides are not to be blamed alone for the soil pollution but there are many other leading causes of soil pollution too. It is further apprised that if the pesticides are used judiciously as per the label claims as approved by the Registration Committee they do not pose any risk," the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare had said in its response to the NGT.