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No proposal to ban Endosulfan: Pawar
Source: New India Express , Kochi, Date: , 2009
The Central Government is not proposing to ban the use of controversial
insecticide endosulfan in the country, said Union Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar. He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function
held to inaugurate the pilot project for replantation and rejuvenation
of coconut palms on the main campus of Kerala Agricultural University,
Vellanikkara, on 7 December. He said that a committee appointed by the
Centre to study the health hazards caused by the application of the
insecticide had not recommended its ban. The minister said that though
some countries had banned the use of endosulfan, including the US,
France and China had not banned the the chemical. “Moreover, endosulfan
is found to be very effective in controlling insects in certain crops
and the farmers of these crops are against the ban of this insecticide”,
he said. Answering a question, Pawar said that India would have to
continue the import of edible oils. He said that he was aware that the
increase in the prices of coconut and coconut oil were causing concern
among the farmers. There is also considerable apprehension and anxiety
in the state about the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. “I would like to
assure the farmers that we have taken measures to safeguard their
interests. At the same time, it is necessary to realise that there is a
serious deficit of edible oil, to the tune of 5 million tonne, and
therefore the import of edible oils may have to be continued until the
domestic production increases”, the minister said.
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