Insecticide banned after farmers’ deaths continues to be sold: Expert

Bengaluru: The highly hazardous pesticide monocrotophos continues to be sold across the country despite being banned over two years ago, owing to serious loopholes in the ban order, public policy expert Narasimha Reddy Donthi has said.

The ban was issued through a gazette notification dated September 29, 2025, following years of activism after the deaths of 35 farmers in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, in October 2017.

In a letter to the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee, Reddy said the notification was flawed. “The ban order contains critical ambiguities and loopholes that enable the continued manufacture, stockpiling and use of this deadly pesticide,” he said.

He pointed out that while the notification allows the sale, distribution or use of monocrotophos 36% soluble liquid (SL) only for clearance of existing stocks until their expiry, it does not explicitly ban its manufacture.

The absence of a fixed deadline, he said, has enabled manufacturers to build large stocks, allowing the pesticide to remain in use for years.

Reddy also flagged a loophole that permits the sale of formulations other than the 36% SL variant, along with the lack of an explicit prohibition on new stocks. He said the order should mandate the destruction of stocks seized during enforcement and prescribe penalties for violations.

“The most critical gap in implementation is the failure to systematically communicate information about banned pesticides to institutions and personnel who provide pest management advice to farmers,” Reddy said. He suggested a three-pronged approach involving agricultural universities, state and district agriculture departments, and private-sector advisory sources, including farmer producer organisations and cooperatives.

Citing the acute toxicity of monocrotophos, the deaths linked to its use, and its ban in 112 countries, Reddy urged the government to immediately revise the notification, strictly enforce the ban, and monitor the sale of monocrotophos and other prohibited pesticides.