A joint study, commissioned by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, has raised concern about the high use of pesticides by rice and cotton growers in Punjab. The study said the use of pesticides was maximum in the Kashmir valley while Punjab ranked second in north India.

Rice and cotton growers of Punjab, vegetable cultivators of Jammu and apple growers of Kashmir were found to be exposed to health risks arising from the application of high quantities of pesticides, said the study conducted by scientists from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Amity University, UP; and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu. The study, published in ‘Environmental Management’, also revealed that the official figures of pesticide use were largely under-reported.

The study took into account the use of pesticides and fungicides in Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar These areas were selected as these account for 20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state Paddy growers were using over 20 types of insecticides and nine herbicides.

For cotton, Fazilka, Bathinda and Mansa districts were selected. In all these places, integrated pest management programmes have been run for many years now, but farmers continue to use 26 insecticides, three readymade cocktail insecticides, nine fungicides, besides three fungicide cocktails, five herbicides and two bio-pesticides. Pesticide use by weight in cotton crop was found to be 2.660 kg per hectare. Pesticides belonging to WHO Hazard Category II were being used here.