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Steps needed to avoid pesticides' shortage
Cotton sowing begins
MULTAN, April 21:
Cotton sowing in Punjab is round the corner while
in Sindh it has already been started but a lot is
yet needed to be done on the front of pesticides
to avoid recurrence of the growers' worst-ever
experience with the pressure of economically
pernicious pests last year.
Ironically, when the American and Army bollworms
were multiplying in the cotton fields the
pesticides needed to wipe them out to save the
precious crop became short mysteriously against
the fact that importers had traded them in the
country in an unprecedented high quantity even
well before the start of sowing last year.
The volume of the pesticides business in the
country had reportedly jumped to Rs15 billion
excluding duties and taxes in the cotton year
2003-04 from previous Rs12 billion. Almost 80 per
cent of the pesticides imported in the country are
used as the measures to protect cotton plants from
pest attacks.
Last year, the Punjab Agriculture Department had
launched an extensive print and electronic media
campaign to forewarn the cotton growers about the
attacks of various pests. Initially, only four
products were recommended as the sort of panacea
to all the cotton ills and phenomenon increased
the use of these products, thus creating shortage
of them when they were supposed to be more
effective.
Consequently, the profiteers in the pesticides
business exploited the situation as they marketed
sub-standard, adulterated and fake pesticides on
the expense of farmers' kitty.
Subsequently, the cotton growers could not get the
desired results to save their crop from any major
setback despite spraying additional pesticides of
Rs3 to Rs4 billion. According to the initial
official claims, the area under cotton last year
was almost 15 per cent more than that of the
corresponding previous year. But, the country this
year has picked a crop 0.5m less than the previous
year's 10.2m bales.
Most of the cotton market analysts had attributed
the cotton crop debacle to the mismanagement on
the front of pests and pesticides. The federal and
the Punjab governments had also realized the
gravity of the situation and both the tiers of
decision-making had ordered separate inquiries
into the "pest galore and shortage of pesticides".
The federal government had appointed director
general of the Plant Protection Department Rashid
Basheer Mazari to probe into the matter while the
provincial government directed its secretary
agriculture Arif Nadeem to do the same.
However, none of the two inquiry officers has so
far accomplished the task given to them on a vital
subject, or if they have done their job then their
respective findings have yet to be made public.
In the meantime, the federal ministry of food,
agriculture and livestock has taken some steps to
address the loopholes in the pesticides business
that open doors for the exploitation of farming
community but analysts say the measures are
half-baked because they are not completely in line
with the recommendations of the 36th meeting of
the Agricultural pesticides technical advisory
committee (Aptac) held on May 31, 2003. The Aptac
meeting had laid down the bases of a fool-proof
mechanism to regulate the pesticides business in
the country.
Through the SRO-21/2004 (dated 16.01.2004), the
federal government has prohibited the sale of
pesticides in bulk and instead has made it
compulsory for the importers to repack the
products in retail packs under their own label and
warranty before passing on to distributors or
dealers. However, orders about some other Aptac
recommendations have yet to be notified.
Important among them are: (1) Price mentioned on
the label should be the same as is given on the
invoice while paying the government duties. (2) A
pesticide should be sold in standard packing of
250ml, 500ml, and 1000ml or per acre dose instead
of deceptive packing of 450ml and 900ml. (3)
Pesticides registered in the country under generic
list of form-16 be allowed to market under trade
names.
Some of the pesticides firms have already launched
extensive marketing campaigns for the cotton
season 2004 while the others are planning to jump
to the arena before May 1.
The DAWN
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Pakissan.com; Advisory Point
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