Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) is a National Association representing Agrochemical/Pesticide Industry with more than 200 large, medium and small-scale companies as its members from all over India.
PMFAI:" We refer to the Draft Gazette Notification S.O.531(E), dated 31st January 2020 issued by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, as per which Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) proposed ban of two pesticides viz. Tricyclazole and Buprofezin we oppose the said ban and put forth some concerns and facts & figures for your ready reference and knowledge. By banning the farmers will be deprived of a good & affordable molecules which are used for control of pests damaging the crops and having a long history of safe use."
Suggestion:
- To have an open house meeting with industry experts, manufacturers, associations alongwith APEDA, FSSAI and CIB & RC in presence of JS PPA about these products.
- All stakeholders, including government, Industry experts, scientist and commodity groups, must work together to ensure practical decisions is reached and not at the haste of EU.
- Companies supplying these molecules can help farmer or sensitize them with help of Krishi Kendra or Extension officers, Rice growers Association, APEDA and industry personnels to cautiously use the product on rice to avoid excessive use and have controlled MRL suggested by EU.
- The export to EU is hardly 3-5 percent whether it is worth bowing to them when the molecules are also used in other crops.
- Restrict use of these molecules in Rice exported to EU and allow its use in india, as no evidence of causing harm to human health /danger to environment animal is reported in India.
- The solution to this problem – can be to have different basmati fields pockets and spray some parts of it with tricyclazole to be exported to US exports and parts with isoprothiolane to be exported to EU. But Isoprothiolane will not be afforded by farmers owing to its cost.
- Lastly do India carry out same residue analysis for products coming from EU?
- We strongly feel that this is a kind of trade barrier on India as we know MRLs are arrived at scientifically, whether a country sets an MRL and these can be used for Protecting the domestic industry . There must be a practice of Harmonized MRLs which favor trade. India is yet to create a level playing field -the 1995 WTO-SPS agreement for pesticide residue analysis.
- The ban should be assessed and supported by the Indian standards certified by government statutory authority rather than following EU standards.
