Ban on Endosulfan, only an interim- respite for Anti-Endosulfan campaign….

Ban on Endosulfan, only an interim- respite for Anti-Endosulfan campaign….

( Madan Menon Thottasseri)

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On Friday 29th April, 2011 the Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) formally approved the recommendation for elimination of production and use of Endosulfan and its isomers worldwide, subject to a host of exemptions. The decision is not binding on India unless specifically ratified. However, the Indian delegation to the Convention consented with the outcome as all concerns about exemptions and financial assistance were addressed. The conference took the decision after considering the risk profile and risk management evaluation for Endosulfan done by the Review Committee and the exemptions decided upon by contact group on Endosulfan and new persistent organic pollutants.

The Review Committee to the Convention, which recommended the ban in last year itself will work with parties and observers to come up with alternatives to endosulfan. The Convention will also be approving financial assistance to developing countries for replacing endosulfan with alternatives.

The was decided to list technical endosulfan, as the 22nd chemical and related isomers in Part I Annex A to incorporate into the Convention wherein specific exemptions for manufacturing the pesticide was granted in the Register of Specific Exemptions and also using the same on pest control of crops listed. Of course, said exemption is allowed for five years which can be extended for another term of five years. As the listing formalities may take an year, effectively a total of eleven years will be available for availing exemptions! This decision covers a total of 173 nations that are parties to the POP convention.


Exemptions can be made available for usage of endosulfan towards 44 pests in 22 crops — cotton, jute, coffee, tea, tobacco, cowpeas, beans, tomato, okra, eggplant, onion, potato, chillies, apple, mango, gram, arhar, maize, rice, wheat, groundnuts and mustard. The pests include aphids in most of the exempted crops, bollworms, jassids, whiteflies, thrips and leafroller in cotton, Bihar hairy caterpillar and yellow mites in jute and berry borer and stem borer in coffee. Endosulfan will be permitted to be used in respect of Tea, for a variety of pests including caterpillars and tea mosquitoes. There will be no change in the usage of Endosulfan to kill a series of pests in tomoto. The pesticide used against hopper and fruit fillies in mango farms, against white jassids, stem borer, gall midge and rice hispa in paddy fields( rice cultivation) and against termites and pink borer in weat fields will never be affected.

Since exemption is applicable to majority of crops other than Cashew, the use of Endosulfan will be carried on for few more years. Probably lobbying by the pesticide industry will attempt to prevail on the regime to extend the usage for the next 11 full years! At the same time this threat can be overcome if there is a concerted mission around the globe for identifying alternatives to Endosulfan.

In the meantime the Anti-Endosulfan Campaign Committee based at Kasargod had urged the Central government to immediately ratify the Stockholm Convention’s recommendations on Endosulfan. The Committee finds an ‘unholy nexus’ between the regime and the pesticide industry which was responsible for putting forth conditions for exemptions by the official Indian Team attended the convention in Geneva. It had sought a comprehensive package for addressing the health hazards faced by people in all locations where ever the deadly pesticide was used indiscriminately. While lauding the Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan for his unflinching support to the cause, the committee wanted to set up a Tribunal for the rehabilitation of victims.

Our people should not over celebrate the approval of the recommendation for elimination of production and use of Endosulfan by Stockholm Convention at Geneva. Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan have to take forward the on-going protests against Endosulfan by interacting with Public Interest groups in other countries, especially in China, Uganda and Indonesia where the usage of Endosulfan will be continued for various crops as in the case of India. These nations too had joined with India in the Stockholm convention on POPs at Geneva for a compromise while accepting the ban on Endosulfan with exemptions. Even the Public Interest Groups in Philippines, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea and Sri Lanka will still be vigilant for ensuring the immediate implementation of the ban in their respective nations and also for preventing smuggling of the pesticide in disguise from overseas.

Peoples’ forums and student communities through-out our country have to be imparted knowledge on the issue. Waging war against the use of the deadly pesticide Endosulfan will certainly continue to get a place in his agenda together with his never ending anti-corruption campaigns whether the veteran Octogenarian crusader comes back to power in the state of Kerala upon declaration of results of the recently held Assembly Elections in mid May,2011 or not.

It will certainly be a privilege for the nation as a whole to have the courageous leader from Kerala - V.S Achuthanandan as a champion to empower people against any atrocities. Overwhelmingly he deserves to be the Chief Minister of Kerala!

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