India: Government Urges Biopesticide Use
15 January 2008 The Indian government has asked farmers to shift towards using more biopesticides in their fields to avoid “excessive” use of chemical pesticides for health and safety reasons, reports the India Times.
At the first global conference on Agrochemicals Protecting Crop, Health and Natural Environment, India’s Minister of State for Agriculture Kanti Lal Bhuria advocated bio-pesticides along with traditional methods for controlling the pests in crop and keeping the environment clean.
“Even though we have to use modern agrochemicals in limited quantity, which may be out of compulsion, we should not negate the conventional methods,” he said, and noted that the country became self sufficient in food production due to the use of pesticides and improved seeds, irrigation, farm implements, and chemical fertilisers.
“As a result, our farmers not only became dependent on chemical pesticides, but also started using them in excess quantities,” the Minister said.
At the same event, India’s Agricultural Research Institute Director S. A. Patil said agrochemicals played a pivotal role in increasing production and productivity of Indian farms. However, he added that “the cost of chemicals has gone so high that farmers cannot afford” them, and he asked for discussion on possible methods for reducing the price of inputs for farmers.
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