India: Chlorpyrifos Receives Specific Exemption for Production and Use
In a significant decision, the 12th meeting of Conference of the Parties (COP-12, 2025) of Stockholm Convention held in Geneva during 28th April to 9th May 2025 provide specific exemption for production and use of Chlorpyrifos, a broad spectrum insecticide in Agriculture, Animal Health and Termites in building foundations for 5 years.
After European Union’s proposal for listing Chlorpyrifos in Annexure-A of Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in 2021, Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI), the national Association representing Indian Agrochemical industry with the support of Govt. of India took lead and put up strong opposition at Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions, considering availability and ability of alternatives, cost of application per hectare, socio-economic conditions of farmers in developing countries, high level of insecticide resistance to newly introduced molecules, cross resistance and food security in the country for 1.4 billion population.
Most of the currently registered alternatives are costlier (USD 7 to 72 per spray per hectare) than Chlorpyrifos (USD 2.4 to 12 per spray per hectare). Most of the newly introduced narrow spectrum alternatives require repeat application in a crop cycle causing disruption, cross resistance, resurgence and outbreak like situation in the country.
Justification for India to oppose listing of Chlorpyrifos in Annex-A to the Stockholm Convention
- Tropical climate of India: Chlorpyrifos has not posed any significant environmental risks in India. The country’s tropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 10°C to over 50°C, accelerates the rapid degradation of Chlorpyrifos in various environmental media (water, soil, air, sediment), reducing its persistence and environmental impact, making it unlikely to undergo bio-accumulation. The recommended application of Chlorpyrifos is mostly with high volume sprayer @500 ml dilution per ha which is unlikely to persist in environment and cause risk to human beings, animals and the environment.
- No Long-Range Transport (LRT): No data from India which can confirms the long-range transportation (LRT) of chlorpyrifos from India to the Arctic or subarctic regions because of tropical & sub-tropical climatic conditions in the country, Asia & Africa.
Justification to list Chlorpyrifos with specific exemptions to the COP-12 of Stockholm Convention
Given below are some examples to support specific exemption for continued use of Chlorpyrifos in the country:
- Sugarcane: There is no viable alternative for the control of termites.
- Cotton: Resistance, resurgence and secondary outbreak of sucking pest viz. whiteflies, leaf hoppers and pink bollworm are continuously evolving in Bt cotton with the uses of diamide, avermectins, spinosyns, pyrethroids, oxadiazines, phenylpyrazole and neonicotinoids group of insecticides. This demands continued uses of Chlorpyrifos solo and /or in mixture (tank mix or pre-mix) especially with Cypermethrin, fipronil and Indoxacarb in a crop cycle. Further, there is no alternative registered for the control of cut worms.
- Chickpea: There is no alternative registered for the control of cut worms.
- Brinjal: For the shoot and fruit borer management, over dependence and wide uses of diamide insecticides is leading to resistance development. Hence, Chlorpyrifos is needed for the management of insect resistance in rotational spray schedule strategy.
- Cabbage: For the diamond back moth, Chlorpyrifos is one of the best alternative for management of multi-cross resistance.
- Onion: There is no alternative registered for the control of root grubs, except Chlorpyrifos.
- Groundnut: There is no viable alternative for the control of white grubs.
- Rice: Chlorpyrifos is one of the proven viable alternative for hoppers, stem borers & leaf folders.
- Wheat: There is no registered alternative for the control of termites.
Risk Management
In India, CIB&RC (the regulatory authority under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) provide label and leaflet with precautionary measures. Occupational exposure hazards are managed successfully using PPE kits, using tractor mounted sprays. Use of Chlorpyrifos per ha is lowest in India compared to the use rate in temperate countries.
In the convention, India put up the concerns not only for own self but whole globe about food security, availability of alternatives, non-viability of non-chemical alternatives, socio-economic conditions in developing countries, high level of resistance to certain newly introduced chemical pesticides which led to other parties coming forward and listing the crops/pests relevant to their countries too.
The factors mentioned above led to decision making for specific exemptions by BRS Convention’s COP-12 for continue use of Chlorpyrifos for a period of 5 years for 18 crop-pest complexes (rice, maize, wheat, sugarcane, onion, peanut, barley, cabbage, chickpea, cotton, pineapple, and rapeseed, among others); control of leaf-cutting ants for agricultural use; control of locusts; control of ticks in cattle; and wood preservation against borers and termites in building foundations, are justified for transition to alternatives.
“Unfortunately, some EU lead NGOs and media are spreading misinformation campaign which are far from truth. But we are sure, the decision serve justice to farming community all over the world,” said Pradip Dave, President, PMFAI.
Get The Newsletter Today!
