CHAPTER VIII

PESTICIDES USAGE IN PAKISTAN

This Chapter describes the findings of a short term study fundedby Global Greengrants Fund of USA. It describes two activities:viz. (1) fact finding by collecting data and views on the statusof management of pesticide usage, and (2) assessment of impact ofusage on the health of users and appliers. The main aim of thestudy was to identify the nature, basis and cause of the problemdue to pesticide usage, particularly with regard to poisoning oftens of thousands of farmers and illness of women cotton pickers.

Extensive field trips were made for this study in the year 2001and 2003 to the cotton growing areas in southern Punjab and inthe northern areas of Sindh. Southern areas of Punjab includedthe cotton belt around Multan and Pakpattan, and Sahiwal that areadjacent to Multan in the periphery of cotton belt. The northernareas of Sindh included Ghotki, Sangarh and Nawabshah. The areasadjacent to the cotton belt which were engaged in multicroppinghad shown that there was a severe attack of ‘army worm’, locallycalled American Sundi, and the farmers in their desperation to savethe crop were using whatever pesticide was available in themarket and was being recommended by the pesticide retailer. Therecommendation of the pesticide was based on the price that thefarmer could afford. A spot survey at Pakpattan indicated thatlarvae of army worm had eaten away the entire leaves denuding thevery cotton plant, besides damaging the young bolls, and flowers.It was only September but many cultivators in Sahiwal wereremoving their crop after an early first picking because the crophad been badly damaged by the pest and also because there wasstill time to go for another crop.

A subsequent visit to Pakpattan and Sahiwal revealed that some30,000 hectare of cotton crop had to be destroyed there. Reportsfrom Dera Ghazi Khan and many other fields in the cotton belt ofPunjab and some areas in Sindh, including Ghotki also suggestedthe same figures of destruction of cotton crop during the season.

Pesticide retailer shops were visited next, to have some idea asto how the pesticides are being recommended and dispensed. It wasquite a scene at the pesticide shop. There were scores of farmers

who were coming up with complaints that they had used thepesticide recommended by the shop and he had to apply eightsprays but the army worm was so potent that the sprays did notwork and the pest was still uncontrolled. A cotton grower at DehWadpagya applied 11 different pesticides to control this menace,but could not save his crop.

Another farmer had come to the pesticide dealer with a similarcomplaint but with a different version. He was complaining thathe had asked the retailer to give him a potent pesticide withoutconsideration of cost. He applied three sprays of the so-calledpotent pesticide of foreign origin but to no avail. He hadbrought the container of the pesticide on which the label withthe brand name of the pesticide suggesting that it was notgeneric. However, the date of manufacture was not clear and theexpiry date had been erased. The retailer had, we were informed,clearly stated at the time of purchase that the date has expiredbut it was not too long ago. He wished to be absolved of thecharges that it was a fake pesticide since it was a packedbottle. There was a counter argument that bottles can be sealedwith fake pesticides and fake labels. The argument went on andfinally we were addressed by the purchaser who said categoricallythat the dealer was in the habit of doing dirty business and didnot have a good reputation in the market.

Yet another farmer was noted in the adjacent shop saying that hehad made a mistake of sowing cotton in his farm, which is closeto the field where he is growing corn, and was contemplating todo away with cotton because of the pest attack unless someimmediate remedy in the form of a potent pesticide was available.He was all the time asserting on the potency of pesticide. Wewanted to know as to why he was so emphatic on potency when hehad already applied quite potent pesticides. His reply was thathe had been cheated several times and that the pesticide wasreally not that potent. He also said that he came to the aboveconclusion by applying a full dose of pesticide on a single wormand the worm was not affected; it was still crawling.

It was also noted during the visit that much of theindiscriminate and excessive use of pesticides is due to improperselection of pesticides and seeds. In fact many sharecroppershave no choice for either of them since both are supplied to himby the landlord who imports or purchases or prepares and sells

them to cotton growers on credit. These pesticides and seeds cost50 per cent less than the brand name pesticides and certifiedcottonseed.

Awareness on use of pesticides was found lacking. A grower was,for instance, found spraying his 3 acre cotton field in talukaNara of district Khairpur, with pyrethroid pesticide because hehad spotted some plants infected with leaf-eating caterpillar,whereas the main variety (VH-137) was free from caterpillarattack. Since the vulnerable cotton plants were few in number,the need was to advise the grower to remove the affected varietyand not to indulge in excessive use of pesticides. In anotherinstance reported to us, a hari (tenant) of a ginner-cum-growerat Salehpat in district Sukkur reported completion of threesprays on his 50 hectare cotton field whereas in theneighbourhood only one spray had been applied to the cotton crop.On close examination it was found that the main variety in thesaid block was CIM-109 that was free from boll-worm infestation,which was a mixed variety of CIM-446, and CIM-109 that misled thehari. The CIM-446 is vulnerable to spotted boll-worm and requiresfrequent sprays. When asked about the source from where the seedwas obtained, the hari informed that the seed had been preparedin the ginning factory of his landlord.

On asking a pesticide dealer in Sahiwal, we were informed thatthe dealers had neither a bottling plant on their premises norhad a stock of bottles or labels. They were selling what theyreceived from the wholesaler. Some of the wholesalers do havesuch facilities and if some dilution has occurred or if thepesticide is not effective then it is the wholesaler who is to beheld responsible. However, the wholesaler usually does not takethe responsibility because he asserts that he is no longerresponsible for the product after it has been purchased and takenaway by the buyer. Such being the case, it would be difficult tofind any dealer admitting that the pesticide being sold by him,is or was fake.

We were there in the pesticide market for two days and all thatwe noted was the repetition of the above stories in 15 differentshops. The market was busy doing some brisk business because itwas a critical time for the cotton crop. The farmers had alreadyapplied five sprays by that time but the pests were still there.While the larvae were busy doing damages to the crop, the farmers

were getting desperate and were ready to apply even the mostdeadly pesticide that may be available, just in order to save thecrop.

Interactive meetings were held subsequently for the study at theprovincial pesticide laboratory in Sahiwal, where it was notedthat the officials were aware of the seriousness of thesituation. They had visited the area under cotton crop. Theyexplained to us that it was an emergency that had arisen due tothe multiple crops being grown in the area. The pest attack wasbecause the pests were able to migrate from the host plant to thecotton crop. The weather was ideal for migration and attack bythe army worm. It so happened that Pakpattan and Sahiwal areareceived just sufficient rains that helped the other crops andalso the development and growth of the pests but since they lovethe cotton crop more than the host plants, they had no hesitationin migrating and laying the eggs at the latter site. Theyreported that Multan was a single crop area and has landlords whocan afford the use of pesticides and hence there were only minorincidents of pest attack in the large land holdings. The same isnot true about the small land owners or share croppers who canill afford single crops.

It was found afterwards that the version of the Sahiwallaboratory officials was correct and that cotton crop productionin Multan area was above average. This is attributed to thetimely rain, which washed the leaves and carried the pesticide tothe root zone. This had some beneficial effect on the plants andalso some deadly effect on the pests. Application of pesticideswas however, on a massive scale. Large mechanical sprayingvehicles that are now being manufactured in Pakistan by theAgricultural Machinery Manufacturers in Punjab were in operation.The vehicular spraying machine was reported to be lacking ineffectiveness on the pests under the leaf. The sprayman who hasso far been facing the crisis created by the use of pesticides,is consequently not out of business and his services are obtainedfor applying the pesticide at the critical spots of the plant,particularly the lower parts of the leaves.

Spray man, according to the present findings, is a busy personspraying the pesticide on small and medium size farms. He rides abicycle, loads it with his bucket and bottles, and carries thesprayer knapsack on his shoulder. He charges Rs 40 per hectare

and is able to spray at least 15 to 20 hectares every day. Hehates to muffle up his face and also takes no medicine since heclaims that the pesticide does not hurt him. He did not seem tobe in good health but so were the so many people, some of themsharecroppers sitting under a tree in the village area. Anotherspray man was presented to us on a farm claiming that the personhad been spraying on the field for the last several years and wasnot showing any sign of ill health. He was about 38 years andreportedly had not fallen sick and had also taken no medicine.The spray man, we were told would never be able to say a wordabout his ill health for fear of losing his job. He did notappear in such good health but was not showing any signs ofintoxication either, despite having remained in the field,applying pesticides for more than four hours. The spray man didadmit that he is careful about breathing while spraying on thefield, always taking a bath after finishing the spray and takinggur or raw sugar after the bath as advised by his elders.

People in Pakpattan area may not be having complaints but thereports obtained while in Multan were not the same. There thepeople reported that they felt sick when applying the pesticide.They said that they were taking no precaution such as muffling uptheir face while spraying and also that they take a bath afterspraying is over and gur as a sweet to take away the bad taste inthe mouth. They endorsed the earlier observations that womencotton pickers were falling sick and complaining about thenauseating smell and headache after prolonged exposure. The womenfolk were carrying children along with them during their cotton-picking chores. They said that the children were at times fallingsick but they did not admit that their sickness was because theywere inhaling the pesticide. By and large the farm workers in thecotton fields in Multan area seemed to be aware of the illeffects of pesticides. It was reported to be rare some time inthe immediate past that they would show some concern since nodeath was reported from the use of pesticides, which is excessivein Multan area.

Findings at the Grass Root Level: The interactivemeetings held to find the nature of and reason for the problemled to the following conclusions:

Pesticides were introduced in Pakistan to control the menace oflocusts, but their application soon became a necessity to meetthe demands of the Green revolution in the 1960s. Landlords werealready engaged in trapping the sharecropper farmers in thevicious circle of credit. Incentives offered by the MNCs inpromoting their trade provided them another chance to consolidatetheir hold on the sharecropper. The sharecropper/farmer has sofar been a person who has no opinion of his own. He is poor aswell as ignorant and that is why the landlord and marketingagents can exploit him to accept whatever is offered to him. Hehas been led to believe by the aggressive marketing techniquesthat pesticides are real medicines for crops; the plants cansurvive without fertilizer but not without pesticides.

The landlords and farmers are both hostage to marketing companieswhich would like their sales volume to keep growing every year.Sales representatives of the MNCs are engaged for the specificpurpose of fulfilling targets fixed by their employers. Salesrepresentatives push the products by inducing the farmers toincrease the number of sprays. In doing so they do not care inusing the different pesticides such as DDT, BHC, Endosulphan,Methyl Parathion, and Cypermethrin that are banned in Pakistan.Moreover in case of pest attack, which is very common on cotton,the farmers are so desperate that they are ready to apply themost potent poison. Their contention in continuing to use thesepesticides is that the pesticide did not do any harm to hishealth last year. However, he has not been told that chronictoxicity takes time to show its symptoms, and when it shows up itis fatal.

That the pesticides have created several agricultural, ecologicaland environmental health issues in Pakistan. The reportspublished by the concerned institutions of Pakistan AgricultureResearch Council show that 84% blood samples of field workers and72% female cotton pickers’ milk in Multan are contaminated withsignificant amount of pesticides and red blood cellcholinesterase level of the same number are below the range of50% and 27% samples respectively. Having depressed plasmacholinesterase level substantiates the earlier assertions onincidence of pesticide poisoning of thousands of male workersduring the sowing to picking season and of women during thecotton picking process every year.

On the status of pesticide usage in cotton-growing areas, it wasfound that landlords with large landholding have motorizedsprayers while the medium size landholders assign the spraying tospray men who manually spray chemical pesticides on crops. Somemedium size landholders also engage their own field workers toapply the spray. Small farmers get their family members to do thejob. Spray men who are mostly males and cotton pickers who areinvariably females carrying children are exposed to pesticides.The government functionaries on the field are also exposed, someof them severely.

It was noted during the survey of cotton growing areas in Sahiwaland Pakpattan in the Punjab that spraymen took no safety measuresto protect themselves from the ill effects of the pesticides. Adozen spraymen who were interviewed on the field visits, wereusually on a bicycle on which they were carrying their knapsack,the sprayer, a bucket that had a few bottles stuffed in and asack for collecting grass and vegetable refuse for his domesticanimals. His services are hired on an acreage basis and heusually earns around Rs 600 to 800 per day. He usually covers hisface with a large enough dense piece of cloth. He does not usesafety glasses or protective clothings. He takes a bath aftercompletion of his spraying but that is in the evening. No sprayman whether hired or employed complains of ill-health resultingfrom his occupation, although he does appear older than hisreported age.

The spray men are usually experienced persons. Some of thoseinterviewed reported about having participated in the training ata campsite organized by the pesticide dealers and also by theAgricultural Extension Departments. None of them ever suggestedthat the safety glasses or protective clothing were necessary.They knew about spurious pesticides in the market and they madethemselves available for guidance on potent pesticides that weresure to kill but also advised against them saying that people donot recommend them. Some of them claimed that they had advisedthe farmers who were their clients about the poisonous nature ofthe pesticides that were available in the market under differentnames.

Major Findings of the Study

1. The use of pesticides in agriculture has been on the rise inthe country during the past decade, rising from a mere 665 tonsin 1980 to 14,742 tons in 1990 and to 46,000 tons in the year2000 and remains at a slightly higher level as of now. Pakistandoes not have its own pesticide manufacturing capacity. It has 19units that are engaged in production of formulations based onimported active ingredients. Seven out of the nineteenformulators, are MNCs whose products dominate the local pesticidemarket. Pakistan was producing DDT and BHC but their use wasdiscontinued in mid 1970s after the mosquitoes were found to havedeveloped resistance to DDT and the Malaria eradication programmeswitched over to using Malathion. Until 1981 the government wasmanaging the subsidized distribution of pesticides, however, fromthat year onward the private sector has been enjoying a free handin marketing and promoting their sale and use, which hasincreased threefold during the last decade.

2. Pesticides are being used as one of the most powerful toolsfor pest management in protecting the cotton crop, which besidesbeing the main cash crop is the major earner of foreign exchange.Every possible step is taken to increase its production and tosave the crop by all available means since its share in totalexports has been fluctuating between 58 and 64% and presentlystands at the latter figure. Consumption of insecticides isalmost 90% of the total quantity of pesticides used here whileherbicides, fungicides, acaricides and rodenticides account forless than 10% of the total. Herbicides are now being vigorouslypromoted for wheat production but only large landholders have sofar accepted them.

3. Cotton crop harbours maximum number of pests and diseases andthat is why it accounts for the largest share of 70 to 80% in theimport and sale of pesticides in the country. Paddy, sugarcane,fruits, vegetables, chillies and tobacco share the remaining 20to 30%. The latest figures show that nearly 46,000 tons ofpesticides, worth about Rs 14 billion, were used in the year2000. The negative impact associated with their indiscriminateuse has also boomeranged in various forms in the cotton growingareas.

4. The extensive use of pesticides in cotton has been found toresult in the development of pest resistance and involves aspecial risk for the harvest workers whose number exceeds 10,000

in Multan District alone, and the women boll pickers who numberalmost the same. It is thus associated with severe economic andenvironmental consequences.

5. The main factors responsible for the observed extensivedamages to the ecosystem and health of farmers and spray meninclude availability of unregistered and unregulated pesticidesthat are being imported as generic i.e. by their chemicalformulae. Such pesticides are technical grade as they arrive.They are modified during formulation by the scores of formulatorsand importers, including some landlords, who have jumped in totake advantage of the provisions in the import policy.

6. The risks of exposure are colossal and damage done to the foodchain and health of field workers has been estimated from theamount of pesticide residues in cotton seeds, cotton lint, cottonseed crude oil, blood samples of male and female field workersand cotton pickers and milk of cotton pickers, in addition tomeasuring the reduction in red blood cell cholinesterase leveland depression of the plasma cholinesterase activity. Thisinformation on the presence of pesticide residues in the foodchain and blood samples and reduction in cholinesterase level hasbeen current since the early 1990s. No mitigation measures havebeen taken and the information has been brushed aside by making asimple statement that the applicators do not follow theinstructions mentioned on the label, and have to suffer for theconsequences. No action has so far been taken to mitigate thesituation and rectify the damages.

7. It is not just the crop protection activity that is causingdamage to the health of persons engaged in handling andapplication of pesticides, the households have become equallyvulnerable to risks of exposure. Samples of blood drawn fromurban dwellers suggest different patterns of pesticideaccumulation, depending on the type of pesticide and period ofexposure. There are evidences that a six year old girl receivedthe pesticide residue DDE from her mother and also that the seraof blood donors are highly contaminated.

8. Application of pesticides has been confounded by the faultyseed certification system in which the 'seed mafia' and someunscrupulous companies are involved in flooding the markets with

scores of other cotton varieties, including some unknown onesintroduced by the ginners.

9. Illiterate farmers who are either sharecroppers or have small-size holdings along with the virtual absence of agricultureextension service, are said to be largely engaged in theindiscriminate and excessive use of pesticides, but that is morein desperation than need.

10. The consequences of the excessive use are disastrous. On theone hand there is the serious impact on the health of workers andthe ecosystem, and on the other hand the use of pesticides isineffective in that it has neither exterminated the pests norincreased the production of any crop, including cotton. Cottonproduction has been stagnant at about 10 million bales a yearalthough the cotton fields have been virtually poisoned with eachyear finding more pesticide being applied.

11. The reason behind the stagnancy in the production of cottoncrop is severe attack by curl leaf virus whose carrier is thewhite fly. This bears weight and support because studiesconducted in cotton growing countries of Latin America revealthat the increasing pesticide use was both the cause andconsequence of the changing nature of pest complex in CentralAmerican cotton. While the boll weevil continued to be asignificant problem, along with the leafworm Alabama argillaecea,newly resistant and secondary pests repeatedly became the sourceof explosive pest resurgence problems.

12. In Pakistan also attack of the leaf curl virus has been foundresponsible for the decline in the yield per hectare, despite theincredible increase in the import and application of pesticides.Since army worm is not a regular and major pest of cotton inSindh or Punjab, its outbreak may be attributed to aggressive andinjudicious use of pesticides. This confirms the observation thatexcessive use of pesticides has led to the development ofresistance and secondary pest development, which causes decreasein yield per hectare. This results not only in economic hardshipsto the farmers and rural economy but also in far reachingenvironmental consequences.

13. Disturbance of the ecosystem extends beyond the soil, cropand contamination of water to loss of biodiversity. Several

beneficial insects have disappeared, animals have been poisoned,and water has become contaminated leading to the death of anumber of fish, etc. Three reports in the press suggest thatthere has been severe loss of biodiversity as a result ofexcessive use of pesticides. One such study suggests that birdshave migrated from cotton growing areas, the second suggests thatvulture population in Sindh has thinned out, while the thirdshows that beehives have become rare in cotton growing areas ofPunjab and Sindh.

14. Invasive use of pesticides was encouraged to combat pestattack including that by the leaf curl virus, in order tomaximize cotton yield and production. However, the attack of theleaf curl virus could not be averted despite the threefoldincrease in the use of the pesticides during the last decade.Consequently, there was a decline in the yield per hectare.Repeated use of methamedophos, either alone or in combinationwith other groups of pesticides was for example rampaging inSahiwal and Ghotki. Only 15 to 20% damage was being expected tothe standing early sown crop because majority of bolls hadattained maturity. However, late sown crop sustained severedamage because the majority of bolls were still in the stage oflint development.

15. According to trials conducted by the Cotton ResearchInstitute, Multan, about 50% of the pesticides are wasted. Thisoveruse of pesticides does not only add to the cost ofproduction, but is also environmentally hazardous in that itcreates imbalance in the natural ecosystem. This may beattributed to the lack of awareness of the farmers and use ofinefficient pesticides.

16. The farmer has poor knowledge regarding pesticide use; he isguided not by the extension service of the Agriculture Departmentof the Provincial government but by the pesticide dealers, whosenumber has increased because it is a lucrative business. Smalltowns such as Baffamera, with a population of 8,000 in thetobacco growing area, have six to eight shops while Mansehra, acity with a population of over one million has more than 24 suchshops. These shops cater to the pesticide requirement of thetobacco growers. Here the farmers have their own sprayers andthey were trained in the distant past by the AgricultureExtension Department at a time when this department was very

active. Trained spray men are few in number while the sprayingequipment has outlived its life. The result is that the pesticidedoes not hit the target. No sprayer is available that can hit thetarget under the cotton leaves where insects get protection. Thepesticide is thus wasted during application while the environmentis adversely affected.

17. The farmers raising crops other than cotton, in theirdesperation to save their harvest, also use the highly toxicpesticides like malathion, cypermethrin and monocrotophos on fruitsand vegetables. Such pesticides which are known to be carcinogensand banned in the countries of their origin are used in the urbanenvironment for the control of household pests and in fumigationservices as well as in the commercial stores and wholesalemarkets. This is largely due to lack of awareness on chronictoxicity and impact on the health of users of the pesticides andtheir residues, besides the easy availability of chemicals which,according to the forceful campaigns, is sure to kill.

18. One of the major consequences of the use of potent pesticidesin small doses is that the pests have developed resistance tothem and now the farmers are recommended higher doses ofpesticides that have been rendered ineffective. Studies conductedby Cotton Research Institute Multan suggest that the Americanbollworm or Army worm has developed resistance against cypermethrinand monocrotophos. Instead of deregistering such pesticides thathave been proven ineffective, they are sold under other tradenames, or under generic names or in the form of mixtures withother pesticides such as endosulfan or chlorpyrifos, which arethemselves highly toxic and carcinogenic.

Unsustainable Use Of Pesticides The above observations already suggest that intensive use ofpesticides is unsustainable for the rural economy as well as theenvironment of the crop production areas and unhealthy in thelong run for the households in Pakistan. It has been observedduring field visits and there are also substantial evidences tosuggest that the economic and environmental consequences ofinvasive usage of pesticides in the country, specially in thecotton sector are severe. Some of the important reasons for the

indiscriminate use and the resulting degradation of theenvironment are the following:

i) Multinational Corporations, engaged in the import andformulation of pesticides being well organized, go for extensivecampaigns and aggressive publicity. Previously they had, whileintroducing their products, even distributed pesticides andsprayers for free. This attraction was soon withdrawn. Similarlythe subsidies offered by the government to promote the use ofpesticides were withdrawn in 1980.

ii) The private sector took over the import, manufacture, andmarketing of pesticides. Model rules for pesticide registrationwere adopted and the FAO International Code of Conduct ondistribution and use of pesticides was adopted. The governmentamended the 1971 ordinance and allowed the import of pesticidesunder generic names.

iii) The target was no longer the grass root level i.e. the usersince the same was moved to higher hierarchy after the amendment.Field supervisors and retail shop keepers are now being invitedalong with a few progressive farmers to attend workshops. Theyare given publicity materials and also a demonstration on theuse. It is not uncommon to find them giving advice to cottongrowers to use highly toxic pesticides such as endosulphan whichsells here as thiodan, methamedophos sold here as Monitor, alongwith Malathion and monocrotophos, as a first spray. Campaignssuch as these and also on electronic media are, it may bementioned here, not in compliance with the FAO Guidelines onadvertising. iv) Applying pressure of the above kind has resulted in thepesticide dealers and pesticide companies misguiding smallilliterate growers and inducing them to go for early-season sprayof cotton crop, which renders the crop virtually a biologicaldesert requiring more frequent sprays to control the pest menace.The marketing companies ignore the parasite and predator balance,that their populations are slow to build up after the winterseason, and need the prey of the early season to build up theirnumber to help control pests throughout the season. Market forcesmanipulation is thus one of the main causes for the proliferationof use of pesticides.

v) Pesticide retailers run a lucrative business. The profitmargin is immense yet the pesticide trade is in the hands ofopportunity seekers. They are engaged in unscrupulous activitiessuch as production and sale of adulterated pesticides. In anumber of cases the pesticides available in the market have noimpact on the target pests. The smart dealers often trick theilliterate and ignorant farmer. It is estimated that at least 30%of the pesticides available in the market does not conform to thequality prescribed in the international and national compendium.

vi) Small Pesticide Vendors are themselves often ignorant of thedanger of pesticides because they have little or no trainingabout pesticides. They fail to protect both themselves and staffworking for them in their stores. They rarely provide workerswith protective gears at work place and often-leftover pesticidesare simply spilled out on the streets or in their backyards. Somepesticide distributors have credit systems that they offer tofarmers to distribute and promote sales of pesticides. Competingpesticide distributors have their own extension agents whose solepurpose is to sell pesticides. As the income of the pesticide-selling agents depends on quantities they sell per season or day,each agent strives to be at the top by selling the most. In theprocess, pesticides are misused and get accumulated in theenvironment. Pesticide containers are equally as dangerous aspesticides themselves. In many countries farmers are advised bypesticide distributing agents to bury containers in theirbackyard. But most of them end up for domestic use either forkeeping water, or for food storage.

vii) Inadequate quality control of pesticides is because of tworeasons: Pakistan does not have pesticides manufacturingcapability; its 19 manufacturers only formulate importedpesticides. The import can be effected from any country in theworld except the few, including India that do not enjoy the MostFavoured Nation status. India, according to global pesticidemarket reviews, is the fourth largest manufacturing country inthe world and according the claims of the President of the Indianpesticides Manufacturers Association, Pakistan receives Indianpesticides through a third country e.g. Dubai, Singapore or HongKong. The quality of Indian pesticides is usually not up toInternational standards and also contains undesirable impuritieswhich may, besides being harmful to the crops, be hazardous tothe spray men.

vii) The second reason for inadequate quality control is thatpreviously only brand name pesticides were allowed in the market.It was, however, noted at the grass root level that landholders,large and small were all using pesticides available from themarket, which is controlled by Multinational Corporations, MNCsand also some landlords who form an interest group in promotingthe trade. Brand name pesticides are much more expensive thanthose packed by local manufacturers who bottle what might be sub-standard and of Indian origin.

viii) A number of shop keepers in Pakpattan also suggested thatpesticides were being imported directly by some landlords. Theycould do this since the Government of Pakistan relaxed the 1971Ordinance in 1991 and allowed import of pesticides under genericnames rather than brand names. The Government allowed the importwithout going through local registration process if a certainpesticide was registered in some other country. In 1993 it alsoexempted the import of pesticides from payment of customs duty.

ix) Since 1991-92 companies and individuals can import pesticidesand sell them under generic names. This allows in most cases adiscount of 50%, and sometimes even more if purchased on cash.Some landlords purchase such pesticides on cash, availing heavydiscount only to recover full cost as printed on the pesticidecontainer by selling them to the haris, or share-croppers who haveto bear the cost, and encourage them to go with calendar sprayafter every 8 to 10 days. The high mark-up permitted to thepesticide companies engaged in generic product sale also suitsthe interests of pesticide dealers who usually supply inputs tothe growers at high interest rate on credit. Because of highprofit margin pesticide dealers also encourage illiterate growersfor more frequent sprays, which the latter consider good forhigher yield of cotton crop.

x) Use of spurious pesticides induces a sense of insecurity andoverdosing of the crops with unnecessary hazards. A drive waslaunched in April 2000 in Multan, where a number of cases ofspurious pesticides had been reported. What is going behind thescene is apparent from the following report: The Punjabgovernment launched a drive against unregistered pesticides,insecticides companies which are involved in supplying spuriousand harmful drugs. Official sources said that over 50

unregistered firms doing business in Multan, Lodhran, Vehari,Khanewal and Sahiwal districts changed their names and officesafter every six months to deceive the buyers. The PlantProtection assistant director had directed the Gulgasht police toregister cases against three pesticides companies for runningtheir business unlawfully. Agriculture (extension) assistantdirectors were empowered to conduct raids on pesticides shops,warehouses, stores and factories and to recover the spuriouspesticides and destroy them.

xi) According to the above findings, farmers and all landlordswith large landholdings of over 40 hectare use brand namepesticides from sealed containers. Some of them also get largequantities imported for their own use and also exploit differentoutlets for their sale. Some of their stock goes to wholesalersand some to the retailers while their sharecroppers use theremaining. It is here that the landlord, acting as a trader,quite often enters into dirty business with one or the otherformulator and it was apprehended by some pesticide dealers thatthis is the likely source of fake pesticides.

xii) Source of fake pesticides, according to the AgricultureDepartment, Sahiwal, is the importer(s) of pesticide who wouldimport technical grade of the unregulated pesticides undergeneric names from different sources, allowed to them since 1991.The said department had nothing to comment on the Indianpesticide manufacturers being the main source, which, as reportedin the Indian press, caters to about 60% of the pesticiderequirement of Pakistan. The officials in Sahiwal did admit thatin the past Indians have taken advantage of the laxity allowed in1991.

xiii) Indian pesticides and many pharmaceutical products are inmarket in Pakistan under generic names; they have no brand namesof their own. They are not pure but technical grade i.e. they donot carry the guarantee for the removal of impurities, anoperation that is essential for the safe use of pesticides. Theofficials at Sahiwal office were of the opinion that the failureof pesticides in achieving the desired annihilation of the cottonpests was to be attributed to marketing of sub-standardpesticides.

xiv) All the pesticides available in the market are nicely packedand it is difficult to identify the fake and sub-standardpesticide from the one that may be effective, if the farmer orfarm worker or sharecropper goes by the packing. The officialssaid that some investigations may have to be carried out to findout as to what is the source of the fake pesticide and as to whois responsible for degrading the quality. The information thatthe landlords import large quantities was according to them,certainly shocking.

The above findings bear out the point that indiscriminate use ofpesticides is having very adverse impact on the health of peopleand the environment. There are scores of factors responsible forthis state of affairs; quite a few of them have been mentionedhere.

It may be apparent from the above that the problems posed bypesticides usage in Pakistan are different from those encounteredin the industrialized countries where they are manufactured.Chronic toxicity takes time to emerge and hence the negativeimpact of pesticide usage became perceptible in the manufacturingcountries ten to fifteen years after their intensive use, whichwas sometime in the early 1980s. It was at this time that cancerrelated health effects and deaths were increasingly reported andthe governments imposed bans on the use of several well-knownpesticides.

It did not take a long time for the incidence of chronic toxicityto take its toll in Pakistan. This was because the country thecountry did not have the knowledge and means to take steps todeal with catastrophes emanating from toxic chemicals in generaland pesticides in particular. Consequently the country was notonly confronted with damages done to health of workers and theenvironment by the highly toxic pesticides that have beenimported and (earlier on) donated but also because at the veryinception the knowledge about chronic toxicity was very limited.It was this deficiency in information that impurities inmalathion are more toxic than the pesticide itself that was causefor disaster at Faisalabad and Kohat.

Pesticides are poisons and are meant to kill living creatures andhence the type of poisoning observed in the cotton fields of

Multan and elsewhere is already a warning of the catastrophelying ahead and must be heeded.

International Code of Conduct on Distribution & Use ofPesticides

It was observed during the several visits to rural areas inPakistan that

Pesticide exposure occurs during mixing, from leakingequipment or inhaling fumes while spraying, and fromsaturated work clothes

Agricultural workers and rural communities are affected byspray drift, when entering or working in fields afterspraying, by washing work clothes, through pesticide in thehome, use of pesticide containers for food or water storage,polluted drinking water, or proximity to obsolete pesticidedumps

Death, illness and environmental contamination frompesticide use are not showing signs of diminishing

Pesticide use in Pakistan is expanding, even though thecountry already accounts for over 95 per cent of seriouspoisonings and fatalities

Some of the most acutely toxic chemicals produced are widelyused with no protection and no training for farmers andworkers who generally have only limited awareness of thehazards.

In view of the above observations it is apparent that in manyinstances, the only practical way to reduce acute poisonings isto restrict the availability of hazardous products. This,however, cannot be done since the MNCs would not like anyreduction in the sale-volume of their toxicity trade. They wouldrather propose better access to more sustainable and less toxicpest management strategies, provided by none but themselves. TheNew International Code on Pesticide Use adopted by FAO in late2002 is aiming just at these goals.

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use ofPesticides of 2002 has set higher standards and offers moreprecise guidance to governments, regulators, traders andindustry. It has called on the food industry, for the first time,

to help implement its recommendations. It has emphasised onconsumers to become more aware of the conditions of foodproduction, and play a part in reducing the use of hazardousproducts(PANUPS, Pesticide Action Network Updates Service, November 1, 2002).

The International Code of Conduct is supposed to improvestandards on the promotion, sale and use of pesticides, and tosupport Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies thatemphasise growing a healthy crop and encourage natural pestcontrol mechanisms. It calls for an IPM based on scientific andother strategies that promote increased participation of farmers(including women's groups), extension agents and on-farmresearchers.

It may be mentioned here that the International Code of Conducton the Distribution and Use of Pesticides was first adopted in1985. It was amended in 1989 to include conditions relating toPrior Informed Consent (PIC), giving importing countriesinformation about banned and severely restricted pesticides andthe right to stop imports. The PIC provisions were incorporatedin the international Rotterdam Convention, agreed in 1998. Therevised International Code of Conduct of 2002 places greateremphasis on reducing risks and hazards, with a recommendationagainst using extremely and highly toxic materials in developingcountries.

Aspects of the new Code were controversial, for one thing becauseCodes of Conduct are voluntary and not binding on themanufacturers. The research-based agrochemical corporationswanted stronger wording to protect their data when registeringpesticides. However many governments felt that these intellectualproperty issues needed to be addressed in the World TradeOrganisation. Nonetheless, the industry association CropLifeInternational had made it obligatory for members to support theprovisions of the previous versions.

At this stage one can only hope that implementation of thisrevised FAO Code would make a difference to the majority of thepopulation in developing countries like Pakistan where male andfemale agricultural workers are daily exposed to pesticides.

Status of Obsolete Pesticides in Pakistan

Pakistan holds a large stock of obsolete pesticides. The stocksaccumulated up until 1980, when national requirements werepurchased centrally by the Government. The quantity has beenestimated to lie between 3,000 and 5,000 tonnes. The stocks areheld in an estimated 200 major stores (tonne quantities) and upto 1,700 Field stores (typically containing tens to hundreds ofkilograms). The stocks comprising a large range of formulatedpesticide types predominantly organophosphate and organochlorineinsecticides are scattered in the cotton growing areas of theProvinces of Sind and Punjab, but there are also stocks inNorthwest Frontier Province and Balochistan.

The main hazard associated with the pesticides is their acutetoxicity, with some of the product active ingredients fallingwithin the highest category of toxicity according to the WHOsystem of classification, namely “extremely hazardous”. Thestocks, having been held for over three decades, are now in adilapidated condition, with considerable leakage, and pilferage.This presents a serious risk to those who have to enter thestores. Because store integrity and security is not good in somelocations, it also presents a serious risk to the localcommunities and to the environment. There is apparently someevidence of contaminated wells. There have been complaints andexpressions of concern from some communities.

Fortunately, after pesticide purchase moved to the private sectorin 1980, there has been little subsequent accumulation ofpesticide stocks and hence further stock accumulation is not seenas a problem for future. The problem can be restricted tocollection and disposal of the existing obsolete stocks in a safeand environmentally responsible manner.

There have been several significant past initiatives to deal withthe problem. The first was in 1987 when USAID sponsored the visitto Pakistan of a team of hazardous waste disposal experts toassess the situation. The team estimated the stocks andassociated hazardous materials at some 8,000 tons. Some of thestores visited were considered to present a serious danger tothose entering them. The team made recommendations for thedisposal of stocks.

Following the above visit, USAID and USEPA, in collaboration withthe Government of Pakistan and others, carried out a disposalexperiment (1.5 ton of pesticide) using a modern cement kiln atD.G. Khan. Although the experiment was claimed a technicalsuccess, there was controversy related to apparent bird deathsand a safety concern from the nearby community, and a localopposition to cement kiln use developed.

Subsequently a proposal to dump these expired pesticides in thedesert areas of Punjab province remained under consideration ofthe provincial government. In fact some landfill sites were alsoprepared. However, before implementation could progress, severalNGOs voiced their concern against this approach fromenvironmental point of view. As a result this proposal wasshelved. The shifted stock is, however, lying at the site withits fate unknown.

Later on, several other half-hearted attempts to deal with theproblem remained under consideration. None came to fruition,partially due to the inability of the Government organizations tofind a viable solution to this problem, but mainly due to publicopposition to any unscientifically proven method of disposal ofthese expired pesticides.

The unsuccessful results of past efforts brought in The RoyalNetherlands Embassy (RNE), Islamabad. RNE became aware of thisproblem in 1996. It was also recognized that some of the stocksmay have originated from the Netherlands and hence RNE should becalled to assist in the disposal of the obsolete pesticidestocks. It was against this background that the RNE commissioneda full-scale study with the following findings:

The current level of stock is not known, neither are thenumbers of stores and their locations. The best estimate is3,000 tons of pesticide stocks and perhaps 500 tons ofassociated waste.

There are well established procedures and technical optionsfor dealing with the problem, and they have been usedsuccessfully in a number of recent (albeit smaller)international projects.

The only generally acceptable disposal process for thecollected stocks and waste is high temperature incinerationin special incinerators having flue gas treatment units thatmeet internationally acceptable emission standards. Most ofthe merchant incinerators are located in Europe.

A number of international hazardous waste disposal companieshave submitted offers for undertaking the work, involvingoffshore incineration. Although the stock repacking and siteclean-up elements are well defined procedurally, there areseveral final disposal options (all involving hightemperature incineration).

The options available are: Off-shore incineration in Europe Off-shore incineration in India Incineration in local cement kilns Installing a local rotary kiln incinerator in Pakistan.

On the basis of above, a Scoping Inventory was prepared toidentify those stores and stocks posing the greatest risk to thecommunities. Following this inventory, a Pilot Project waslaunched to collect and dispose, by offshore incineration inEurope, of 500 tons of the highest risk stocks/stores.Concurrently, a detailed inventory of the remaining stores andtraining a local team to carry out the hazardous and complex taskof subsequent site clean-up and product repacking was to bestarted. This project is estimated to cost $2.2 million,including Scoping Inventory and was expected to be implemented inabout 2 years i.e. just about this time. Not much progress seemsto have been made except the shipment of 500 tons of material foroverseas incineration.

It would be only after the detailed inventory and the findings ofthe pilot project become available that a feasibility study ofthe local rotary kiln and regional options would be completed,cost-estimated and evaluated. This would follow the collectionand disposal of the remaining some 3,000 tones of stocks andassociated materials. The outcome of this could either be tocontinue with offshore incineration or to switch to one of theother options (or a mix).

The latest proposal prima facie supported by the donor has yet toachieve full national consensus on the soundness of the approachand its technical efficiency on which consultation must commenceimmediately for their widest acceptance and support(ESCAP Virtual Conference

http://www.unescap.org/drpad/vc/index.htm).

POPs Convention & Indian Chemical Companies

Indian chemical industry has annual revenues of over $25 billion(13% of total Indian GDP), ranking twelfth worldwide. Itspesticide production capacity ranks it fourth among the pesticidemanufacturers in the world. The Indian agro-chemical sectorcontributes $600 million every year and produces an estimated90,000 metric tons of pesticides a year. Data on pesticideresidues in food collected over the past 15 years has shownwidespread contamination of both packaged food and farm gateproducts throughout the country. The chemical industry is also asignificant source of export revenue, representing 13%contribution to total exports annually(PANUPS, Pesticide Action Network Updates

Service, July 7, 2003).

Nine of the 10 manufactured POPs on the initial list have alreadybeen banned (e.g. aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane) or were nevermanufactured in the country (e.g. mirex and toxaphene). The soleexception is DDT, which is used and exported for malaria control,but manufactured only by the government and in decreasingquantities. ICMA is aggressively opposing a treaty that does notaffect its current markets, because it apprehends that the POPstreaty would add new chemicals beyond the 12 currently on thelist.

The Indian chemical industry has a particular investment in twopesticides, endosulfan and lindane, which are widely consideredlikely candidates for addition under the treaty. Endosulfan aloneaccounts for over 10% of total insecticide consumption in India.This pesticide has been reported in the earlier chapters to comeunder severe pressure owing to the health effects it has causedin communities living around cashew plantations in the Kasargodedistrict in South India. To counter this public pressure a newAssociation of Endosulfan Manufactures in India has been formedand is campaigning aggressively to protect endosulfan productionand use.

The restrictions and ultimate bans laid out in the StockholmConvention represent a new reality for Indian agrochemicalcompanies, which have faced minimal restrictions over the yearsas government policy linked pesticides and fertilizers toincreased food production. By calling on the Indian government toavoid ratification of the Stockholm Convention, ICMA isattempting to block inevitable progress in the country'schemicals policy. Like an ostrich with its head in the sand,Indian chemical companies are refusing to accept real progress inprotecting human health and the environment(PANUPS, Pesticide Action Network

Updates Service, July 7, 2003).

Increased flow of global information, however, will make itdifficult for ICMA to succeed in their efforts. Newinternationally linked networks of civil society such as IPEN(the International POPs Elimination Network) bring credibleglobal information and experience, through its worldwidemembership, to the doorstep of affected villages in India. Civilsociety is now participating in international policy fora such asthe Intergovernmental Forum for Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the UNEnvironment Program. Regional and national public interest canengage with and counter industry arguments effectively.