'Govt clueless about use of chemical pesticides'

Times of India; Tushar Tere; April 18, 2011,

VADODARA: At a time when the state government is struggling to control pollution of underground water table in several cities, an application under Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the government has not done any study to find out the ill effects of chemical pesticides on the soil. City-based activist Rohit Prajapati had made an application to the state agriculture ministry in February 2011. The agriculture department`s replies showed the government cared least about soil and underground water table pollution.

Prajapati had demanded information about the quantity of chemical pesticides being used by the companies in every district in different seasons and their number. Asked was it necessary to use harmful chemical pesticides, "The department replied that it does not have records of the quantity of pesticides being used in every district. I had also asked whether use of chemical pesticides caused any harm to the crops. The government replied that it had not done any study to find out the ill-effects of pesticides," said Prajapati.

"To a question can the farmers do organic farming without using chemical pesticides? The government`s reply was the farmers can do so if they want. All the replies were irresponsible and contained no information," Prajapati told TOI.

One of the replies revealed that the government had spent Rs four crore to encourage organic farming in 2010-11. But, there is no data on the money spent by the government to encourage use of chemical pesticides. Also, the application reveals that no comparative study has been done between chemical pesticide farming and organic farming to find out which one is more beneficial.