The need for controlled herbicides has increased as farm activity has increased across Andhra Pradesh as a result of the favorable rains. During the current season, the state is expected to sell herbicides worth close to Rs 400 crore. What is concerning, however, is the agriculture department's leniency in regulating the sale, as a result of which dealers are openly selling stocks, causing harm to both human and environmental health.
Despite the fact that Andhra Pradesh was the first state in the country to enact regulations restricting the sale of herbicides, the ban is only in effect during the non-crop season.
Last July, the Centre had published a draft notification to limit the sale of around 27 "dangerous" herbicides and chemical pesticides. After allowing 30 days for objections and recommendations to be filed, the deadline was extended by two months and will expire in October 2020. However, the Centre has yet to publish a formal notification governing the sale of herbicides, which appears to have encouraged producers to profit while demand is high.
Andhra Pradesh is one of the country's biggest users of chemical herbicides and pesticides, with herbicide sales accounting for more than Rs 300 crore during the kharif season. Farmers who use glyphosate as a weed killer are being pushed by pesticide sellers to utilize prohibited glyphosate products.
“It is high time for both the state and central governments to prohibit the sale of herbicides that endanger the lives of humans and animals while also harming the environment,” says Padma awardee farmer and Rythu Nestham chairman Yadlapalli Venkateswara Rao, who also suggests that the agriculture department conduct frequent inspections to at least prevent the sale of banned pesticides.
According to sources, some dealers are importing prohibited stocks from Karnataka and selling them at a 100% premium. In Karnataka, certain items cost approximately Rs 300 per litre, while in Andhra Pradesh, they cost twice as much. BJP Kisan cell head YV Subbarao claimed, "The merchants are generating big profits and are deceiving the farmers." He further said that glyphosate is widely sold in the districts of Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Nellore, Ananthapuram, and Kurnool.
