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The Union Agriculture Ministry has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture that the Centre expects locust attacks in June-July 2021, too, due to change in climate. The members expressed concerns at the use of toxic pesticides in combating locusts, but said the government has done a good job in stopping the locusts, particularly using drones.
The Ministry told the members that such an attack had happened in the country after 26 years. The representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare briefed the members on ‘Locust attacks in the Country and Steps Taken to deal with this Menace’.
Opposition members such as Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa are learnt to have posed questions to the Centre on the use of chemical pesticides. Citing reports of the Central Insecticides Board, they said nine out of the 15 chemical formulations used in fighting locusts are highly toxic. “The remaining six are moderately toxic. Use of five among these are widely restricted or banned in most of the countries,” said a member.
They reminded the Centre that it had agreed in 2014 that a bio-pesticide against locust could be registered as an alternative to these toxic chemicals. The pesticide, metarhizium anisopliae, tested in Afghanistan and made of fungal spores, kills locusts from inside. “The biggest advantage is that it has little impact on humans and birds or animals. But till date, this pesticide has not been registered or used by the Locusts Warning Organisation (LWO),” said another member.
Health concerns
They argued that some of the insecticides recommended by the LWO causes Parkinson’s disease, blood cancer, miscarriages, reduced liver function and development of brain diseases among children. The Ministry assured the members that it will address the concerns of the members. The panel will again meet on the issue soon.
It has also urged the Centre to study the impact of these pesticides on wildlife and domestic birds and animals and also to suggest precautionary measures to avoid such a massive attack in 2021.
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