IN APRIL-MAY, Hong Kong, Singapore and Nepal banned the import of certain Indian spices due to the presence of ethylene oxide-a carcinogenic chemical used as pesticide. Ironically, this happened at a time when the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's Central food regulator, increased the maximum limits for certain unregistered pesticides to be used in spices and herbs by as much as 10 times. The outpour of negative reactions was obvious. Time and again, India has failed to set up an effective system for pesticide management.
The so-called default values for unapproved pesticides undermine the pesticide registration process set up by the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. This means that many other pesticides that are not approved for spices or herbs for reasons such as lack of safety data, can still be used. This is wrong. Considering the limited routine surveillance in India and reluctant disclosure of food surveillance data, such use will likely go unchecked. To make it worse, the tenfold raise in maximum levels of pesticides will legitimise a much higher presence. All this for spices and herbs that are integral to Indian diets and kitchens.
Esta historia es de la edición June 01, 2024 de Down To Earth.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 01, 2024 de Down To Earth.
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THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
CAN AGROFORESTRY CREDITS BE SAVED?
Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
