Cardamom planters using unregistered pesticides

History50

Editor

posted on 13 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

38
views

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: That cardamom, the queen of spices, is hugely dependent on pesticides is no news. But what most people don't k..

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: That cardamom, the queen of spices, is hugely dependent on pesticides is no news. But what most people don't know is that a majority of pesticides used rampantly in cardamom, especially in the Cardamom Hill areas, have not been registered with the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) for use in cardamom.
"As per norms, every pesticide has to be registered with the CIB specifying the crop in which it will be used and against what pest. Most pesticides manufacturers register it on a shortterm basis citing just one crop, and then sell it all over,'' Indian Cardamom Research Institute director J Thomas said.Cardamom Growers Association secretary K K Devasia said that pesticides such as triazophos, lambda cyhalothrin, chlorpyriphos, profenophos, acephate, monocrotophos, trialop, midacelopride, quinalphos and phorate available under a hundred different brand names were commonly used by cardamom growers.

Of these, a majority (triazophos, lambda cyhalothrin, chlorpyriphos. profenophos, acephate and phorate) are not in the list approved by the CIB for use in cardamom. While triazophos has been recommended for use in cotton, rice, soybean and brinjal, profenophos has been recommended only in tea and cotton.

"Even in the case of endosulfan, a statewide ban did no good in Idukki. We have to take up regulation of pesticides seriously,'' said J Thomas. The dosage of application, (which is fixed after looking into several parameters such as damage to beneficial organisms) also often exceeded what was normal.