‘Move to ban Endosulfan will hit Indian farmers’

The Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) expressed concern over European Union’s proposal to categorize Endosulfan as a persistent organic pollutant (POP).

According to PMFAI, EU’s proposed move to launch new, patented, expensive products in the Indian market will be against the interests of the farming community.

Currently, farmers use generic pesticides which are available at affordable prices. Interestingly, Anil Kakkar, director, Crop Care Federation of India, said in countries such as India where small acre farming and sustainable farming was widely prevalent, a ban on Endosulfan would deprive the Indian farmer access to an affordable and effective crop protection solution and alternatives are likely to be harmful to the farm ecosystem and destroy pollinators and beneficials.

“The European Union’s proposal to list Endosulfan as POP is against the interests of Indian farmers as they will be forced to buy patented pesticides at high prices,” said R Hariharan, chairman, International Stewardship Centre Inc (ISC). For instance, Imidachloride, a product touted as a replacement to Endosulfan costs `2,000 per litre, while other alternative pesticides such as Thiamethoxam costs `3,200 per litre and Coregen `700 a litre while Endosulfan is only `200 per litre.

According to estimates, the global crop protection industry is worth $40 billion and the top three companies alone account for over 50 per cent. “There is a strong motivation for the European multinationals to replace widely used, generic and low-priced pesticides with their high-priced patented alternatives,” said Pradip Dave, president, PMFAI.

Endosulfan is the third largest selling generic insecticide worldwide with global market in excess of 40 million liters valued at over $300 million with replacement cost of alternative estimated to be in excess of $1 billion. India’s share in global Endosulfan market is over 70 percent. Similarly, exports of Endosulfan from India are valued at $40 million.

Source: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/%E2%80%98move-to-ban-endosulfan-will-hit-indian-farmers%E2%80%99/246486.html

Trade body opposes ban on Endosulfan

The killer pesticide Endosulfan is in news again. With `1,300-crore market in the country, Endosulfan has been facing the wrath of environmentalists and NGOs who are demanding a ban on the pesticide. But a trade body representing pesticide manufacturers has opposed the ban, saying the chemical was not responsible for the deaths it is accused of.

The Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) on Friday said Endosulfan was not responsible for the deaths and sufferings of people in Kerala’s Kasaragod. Talking to the media here, president of PMFAI Pradeep Dave alleged the environmental groups campaigning against Endosulfan were funded by the multinationals in Europe who wanted to ensure a ban on the affordable and generic pesticide to push their patented and expensive alternatives.

However, he said several expert committees were set up by the Union Government and all of them concluded that there was ‘no link established’ between Endosulfan and the alleged reports of health problems in Kasargod. Dave blamed the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) study, which was the root cause of demand for ban on Endosulfan, but it contained “unscientific and implausible” aspects.

He said, “Endosulfan was cheap at `250 a litre compared to the cost of patented alternatives that ranged from `2,000 to `8,000 a litre.”

However, India produces over 80 per cent of global production and uses 12 million litre of this pesticide. It also exported 18 million litres of this pesticide last year.

In a related development, MP and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi has urged all the State Governments to ban the pesticide. She said recently at Hubli that the use of Endosulfan has proved fatal in many cases. “It is causing huge damage to soil fertility and crops, besides severely affecting the health of people who consume crops sprayed with endosulfan,” she remarked.

SK Handa, fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said as per international norms prescribed by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR), it was mandatory for residues to be reported as identified only after performing ‘confirmatory test of each sample’.

“Endosulfan cannot be blamed for diseases in Kerala. It is due to other reasons. Genetic variations in certain groups of people in Kerala could be responsible for these diseases. There are such health problems reported in other parts of Kerala where Endosulfan is not used,'” he claimed.

However, R Hariharan, chairman of Washington-based International Stewardship Centre, said the proposed listing of Endosulfan as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) was to serve European trade interest. “If generics are banned through regulatory mechanisms it becomes easier for patented molecules to expand their market share. These contentions are being exploited by the vested interest,” he alleged. 

NIOH failed to verify the final analysis of Endosulfan residues

PMFAI defends Indian government’s position on Endosulfan

At a media briefing held by the PMFAI, speakers questioned the flawed study conducted and published by National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad. The study titled “The Final Report of the investigation of unusual illness allegedly produced by Endosulfan exposure in Padre Village of Kasargod district (N. Kerala)”, has been the root cause for the demand for a ban on the pesticide Endosulfan.  An expert panel examined the unscientific and implausible aspects of the NIOH’s study. The flaws have been exposed through the RTI query and the masked raw data evoked public outrage when ten thousand people drew a rally in Gujarat seeking withdrawal of the flawed report. Over thousand workers in Kochi held a rally recently to seek justice for the unfairly stigmatized staff at the government run HIL plant in Kerala.

As per the international norms prescribed by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR), it is mandatory for residues to be reported as identified only after performing “confirmatory test” of each sample. “Different chemicals may appear in the same peak due to similar retention time leading to wrong reporting. However, in the NIOH study in Padre Village in Kerala no confirmatory data was generated, thus NIOH report on Endosulfan is incorrect and misleading. No decisions can be taken based on this report.” said Dr S K Handa. He further added “since there was no confirmation referring to presence of Endosulfan in the report made by scientists at NIOH, Endosulfan cannot be blamed for diseases in Kerala.”    Dr. S K Handa pointed out that Endosulfan is a safe molecule and as per World Health Organisation (WHO) and does not possess properties to cause cancer or diseases as reported in Kasargod, Kerala. Dr Handa is a Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has over 35 years of research experience in pesticide residues and was former WHO consultant, Ministry of Health, Government of India. He was All India Coordinator for pesticide residues, has authored several books on pesticide residue analysis and has published 120 research papers.

Mr. Pradip Dave, President, Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) indicated that several expert committees were set up by the Government of India and all of them concluded that there is no link established between Endosulfan and the alleged reports of health problems in Kasargod, Kerala. He added, “Even Government of Karnataka constituted an expert committee of very senior scientists. A detailed report was submitted in October 2004 stating that the use of Endosulfan was not responsible for the reported health problems. The report was table in the Karnataka Assembly on April 14, 2005 and accepted.”

Based on a proposal by the European Union, Endosulfan is being considered at the Stockholm Convention, to be listed as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP). India has rejected listing of Endosulfan as a POP due to lapse in proceedings, gaps in scientific data and lack of transparency which have been observed, reported and protested by India and other member countries. Endosulfan was invented in Europe and was manufactured and used across the entire region for over 55 years.

Clarifying the status of Endosulfan in USA, Mr. Charles Hanson – Executive Director, International Stewardship Centre clarified that “Endosulfan is not banned in the USA. It was a voluntary withdrawal by the manufacturer and sole registrants and a fall out of a congressional mandate to conduct cost prohibitive product testing for over 64 chemicals, one of which is Endosulfan. Citing small user market in USA, huge investment in research, mounting pressure and uncertainty at the international conventions, the manufacturer chose to avoid any further studies and opted for a voluntary withdrawal of Endosulfan.” There is concern amongst the farmers as USA has not found alternatives for all uses of Endosulfan. While various alternatives have been suggested as a possible replacement, many of these are known carcinogens, toxic to pollinators such as honey bees and are banned in countries like Germany and France.

EU’s move to ban Endosulfan to benefit European Crop Protection Industry

The Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) held a press conference today and invited speakers who pointed to European Union’s (EU) role in steering proceedings at international chemical conventions. The Stockholm Convention has been exploited by European Commission to further its trade interests as world market leader in crop protection chemicals. A push for elimination of the generic pesticide Endosulfan will directly promote the use of patented alternatives and benefit European multinationals.
The meeting was addressed by senior members from the International Stewardship Centre Inc. (ISC) – a non-profit organization registered in Washington D.C. that holds an observer status at these conventions. Along with ISC there was participation from Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) which is focused on advancing the cause of Indian farmers through better crop protection. The speakers shared their experiences and highlighted the current status of Endosulfan and the proceedings that are likely to impact India and its agriculture in the months ahead.

Speaking to the press, Mr. Pradip Dave, President – Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) gave an overview of the international chemical trade. “Europe is a leader in the international chemicals trade which includes crop protection chemicals. The global crop protection market is valued at over US$ 40 billion. The top three companies which dominate this business are all European and account for over 50% of the global market. This market share has been built with a strong focus on patented and proprietary crop protection chemicals supported by strong regulations, driven by the European standards.” “This has been the motivation for European multinationals to replace “low priced generics” with their “expensive patented alternatives”, added Mr. Dave.

The European Union (EU) has been pushing for a global ban on Endosulfan by proposing its inclusion in the Stockholm Convention as a Persistent Organic Pollutant. As an observer at the Stockholm Convention, Mr. Charles Hanson - Executive Director of International Stewardship Centre Inc. shared that, “Aggressive campaigning by the EU and environmental NGO’s supported and funded by the EU, has resulted in a number of countries announcing a ban on Endosulfan.” Echoing the EU call, the Chemical Review Committee of the Stockholm Convention recommended the listing of Endosulfan as a Persistent Organic Pollutant despite significant data gaps and without a clear consensus on the decision.

Endosulfan is the third largest selling insecticide worldwide. Invented in Germany over 55 years ago, today it accounts for a global market in excess of 40 million liters valued at over US$ 300 million. Mr. R. Hariharan – Chairman, International Stewardship Centre Inc. (ISC) shared, “Indian companies account for over 70% of this market which has come at the cost of the European manufacturers. The replacement value of Endosulfan by patented alternative is estimated to be in excess of US$ 1 billion. As a result, Endosulfan is today in the eye of the storm in the battle of “patented” versus “generic” pesticides.”

 Source: Business Standard http://bit.ly/endosulfantruth

Down To Earth [DTE] Publishes Unscientific Articles

Down To Earth publishes unscientific articles on Endosulfan. This magazine has also published in past a lab report on analysis of Endosulfan carried out by Centre For Science and Environment [CSE] lab. In said report, CSE has reported amount of Endosulfan 27 times higher than its scientifically established solubility in filtered water. Study conducted by CSE was funded by European Union. Activists

If such horror story entertains you, there is another one at: http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/32919
Another Kasaragod
Author(s): Savvy Soumya Misra
Issue: Jan 31, 2011

The article starts with "Like Kerala’s Kasaragod, neighbouring Dakshina Kannada is bearing the brunt of spraying of endosulfan. While Kasaragod grabbed media spotlight and Kerala banned the pesticide, victims in Karnataka are still struggling for recognition"

The expert committee constituted by Government categorically concluded that there is no link between Endosulfan and alleaged health effects in Kasargod.

Now desparate attempts are made through DTE magazine to deceive public. The article states:

"If one cannot prove endosulfan as a causative factor, one cannot disprove it either."

Media has selectively picked up only such horror sensationalizing stories which are not based on science.