State should take a stand on Lannate: DC Shikha

Post-mortem report of the deceased farmer awaited

The awareness campaigns being organised by the Agriculture department, regarding the use of Lannate, appears to have borne fruit. Apart from two cases reported in Hunsur on Friday, no other cases have been reported, say officials.

Meanwhile, post-mortem report of the farmer who died, after taking ill while spraying the insecticide is now awaited. Officials also suspect that a ‘toxic cocktail’ of pesticides and insecticides used by the farmers unknowingly, could have caused illness among them.

Noting that a temporary ban was in place against the sale of Lannate in the district, Deputy Commissioner C Shikha said that an extensive study on the insecticide was necessary, to assess its effects. She said that the decision to ban the insecticide was not taken in haste, and was necessary as several farmers were falling ill. “If it had been an isolated incident, the ban would not been in force. However, since a large number of cases was reported, the ban was necessary,” she said.

She said that the State government has to take a stand on permanently banning the insecticide. “The post-mortem report of the victim is critical evidence. In order to ascertain the cause of his death, the body of the deceased had to be exhumed. The report will be submitted to the State government,” she said.

Toxic cocktail
She said that farmers might have mixed different insecticides and pesticides to form a ‘toxic cocktail’, in order to remove the pests. This too, might have effected them, she said. “The report by experts who visited the taluk, following the incident, also notes that the concentration of the pesticide used was also high,” she added.

In order to prevent such mishaps in the future, organic farming will be encouraged in the district, she said.

Agriculture department officials in Hunsur, who did not want to be quoted, said that all stocks of the insecticide has been cleared in the district. However, the call by the district administration to return Lannate, had not yielded any response. “The Department had offered to buy back the insecticide from the farmers. However, none of the farmers have come forward till date,” the official said.