“There has been hardly any progress on the status report. In two months, only two meetings have been held. It’s not acceptable to us. We expect meetings of the committee to be held more frequently. A status report must be filed positively before two days of the next date of hearing. Post the matter on Oct 10,” the bench said. The court was informed by the state government that committee members held two meetings since May 2, “On Aug 30, they (committee members) are meeting again and probably some action would be taken,” said government counsel Meera Bhatia.

The court had earlier directed the government to constitute the committee after it took suo motu cognizance of a media report alleging use of banned pesticides. The court observed that matters of this nature cannot be delayed and also expressed its displeasure that the committee had met only twice in the last three-and-a-half months. The seven-member expert committee includes Sandhya Kulshrestha, secretary, central insecticide board and registration committee and Sarita Bhalla, joint director of agriculture ministry as committee’s chairperson.

Other members are Dhir Singh, director of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India; N.K. Sharma, principal scientist in the agriculture ministry; S.M. Bhardwaj, food analyst at Delhi’s Department of Food Safety; Vipin Bhatnagar, joint director at plant protection quarantine and storage, and senior advocate V.K. Rao. NGO Consumer Voice’s report found that 35 varieties of vegetables and fruits, picked from Delhi markets and tested for pesticide content, had toxins beyond permissible limits.

It told the court that vegetables and fruits sold in the city’s markets contained poisons capable of causing cancer and harming the nervous system and liver. The NGO said that the amount of pesticides used by farmers in India was as much as 750 times higher than European standards. The court earlier formed a panel of lawyers to examine the pesticide content in various vegetables samples at laboratories. The panel has so far examined over 10 types of vegetables.

Also read: Satyamev Jayate: Episode exposes the pesticide feast you’re exposed to!  

Source: IANS

What is organic farming?

Organic farming is a type of food production method which avoids using artificial and unsafe chemicals in the form of pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators and animal feed additives. Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat are grown by applying alternative farming practices such as crop rotation, mechanical cultivation, animal and green manure as well as environmentally sensitive pest and weed control.

Why is organic food better? Are there any studies to prove that organic food is healthier?

Organic food is better in terms of lesser exposure to pesticides (chemicals sprayed on food to control molds, insects and diseases) and food additives (e.g. artificial sweeteners, colours, flavours and monosodium glutamate) plus lesser environmental pollution. Organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables, are reported to taste better. However, it is unclear if they are more nutritious than non-organic food.

What are the effects of pesticides on our health and the environment? How does organic farming protect the environment?

Pesticides can cause multiple health conditions such as birth defects, nerve damage and cancer depending on the toxic nature of the pesticide. A person comes across pesticides via skin contact (handling pesticides), inhalation (breathing-in dust or spray) and ingestion (eating or drinking polluted food and water).

Long-term pesticide use negatively impacts the ecosystem. The most critical environmental impact is contaminated ground water which pollutes drinking water and all products that require water. For example, in the pesticide adulterated cola drinks the source of contamination could be either water or sugar (sugarcane agriculture). Another example is the observed link between long-term pesticide use and reduction in honey bee population which lowers the crop yield of bee-pollinated food plants such as tomatoes, beans and apples. You can read about other ill-effects of pesticide use covered in Satyamev Jayate here.

If pesticides are not used, how does the farmer ensure it is not attacked by pests?

The 2 main methods used in organic pest management are prevention and control.

Prevention techniques include crop rotation, using pest-resistant varieties and planting pest-free rootstock. If the constant monitoring of the crop indicates that pest control is necessary, then less risky pest control measures are applied.

First, highly targeted chemicals e.g. pheromones disrupt pest mating and mechanical controls e.g. trapping or weeding are used. If further action is needed, targeted spraying of pesticides is carried out.

Are there any standards or certifications for organic food?

INDOCERT is an organic food and products certification agency. It is accredited by National Accreditation Body (NAB), Government of India, as per National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). Indocert follows USDA-NOP standards for export products.

USDA organic certification mark, commonly found on organic food in India, verifies that all United States Department of Agriculture regulations, requirement and specifications have been followed during the production of that particular food item.

Which foods are available in organic form?

Organic food available in India includes spices, herbs, vegetables, fruits, cereals, pulses (dals), oils, milk, soy products, snacks, baby food, tea, sugar and honey. Some organic food brands include Pro Nature, 24 letter mantra, Navdanya, Down to Earth, Orgavita, Organic India, Fab India, Conscious Foods, Dubden Greens, The Altitude Store and Green Fiesta.

Is the shelf life of organic food lesser than non-organic food?

The absence of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals slows the growth and maturity of organic food making it more susceptible to disease and hence lower shelf life. Organic foods should be consumed sooner rather than later.

Is organic produce costlier? Why?

Certified organic food is more expensive, though declining over time, because of lower public demand and higher productions costs during farming and post-harvest handling. However, as more people consume organic food, the economy of scale will reduce costs of production and distribution of organic products.

Where can people buy organic food? Are they available online?

Organic foods are available in farmer’s markets, major retails chains and specialty stores. For example, in Bangalore organic food is available in a variety of grocery stores ranging from Spar Hypermarket to Namadhari to Mother Earth or Fab India. Several online stores offer organic products e.g. farm2kitchen.com, downtoearthorganic.com, Onlyorganics.biz.

Where will I find reliable information about organic food?

Organic Food Availability

Pesticides and Health Impact

Natural Pest and Weed Control 

Organic Certification (Indocert)

USDA Organic 

For more health-related videos checkout our YouTube page 

Harmful effects of pesticide

Dr Rashmi Sanghi, who has done a lot of research in this field, found that the pesticide levels in breast milk samples were 400-800% higher than allowed levels. The show then visited a district in Kerala called Kasargod which had been sprayed with 22 lakh tonnes of endosulphan between 1976 and 2000.

Dr Mohan Kumar recounted his tale of working in Kasargod. He noticed that an abnormally large number of people suffered from chronic illnesses from a long time. He said that about 5000 people must have been affected. Children suffered from grievous malformations, cancers, deformities, etc. He said that since the spraying stopped the number of cases have gone down.

The show then visited various areas in the country to show how rampant the use of pesticides. Farmers actually refused to eat their own yields and would grow separate crops for themselves.

Kavitha Kurugganti of the Alliance for Sustainable Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) said that the blame didn’t lie with farmers alone but the policy-makers. She said that 67 pesticides that were banned in other countries that were still used in India. She said that the pesticides sprayed only 1% reaches its intended target and the rest 99% remains the environment.

Dr S G Kabra pointed out that pesticides caused the destruction of folic acid especially during pregnancy leads to stunted growth, mental diseases, etc. in unborn children.

The talk then turned to the Green Revolution. Would the revolution have been possible without pesticides? Dr Vandana Shiva believed that the because of the pesticides, India has to import more crops because they ruin the symbiotic relationship between the soil and plants.

Not really harmful?
Mr Rajju Shroff, CMD United Phosphorus Ltd one of India’s biggest pesticide producers argued that without pesticides the country’s yield would go down. He added that the cases in Punjab had nothing to do with pesticides and also laughed off the suggestion that farmers don’t eat their own food. He added that pesticides helped thousands of farmers earn their livelihood and produce enough crops. Mr Shroff also pointed out that only about 1% of the entire food produced in the world was ‘organic’ and rest did need pesticides. Scarily there are no rules and regulations to check pesticide use in the country.

Organic State

The show highlighted the efforts of the Sikkim government which is committed to organic farming. Sikkim’s CM Pawan Kumar Chamling said that they were planning to go organic by 2015 knowing full well the long term benefits of the process. The government has banned all chemicals and fertilizers and started educating farmers about organic farming.

Short-term solutions

The show then discussed how to get pesticides out of groceries. Soaking with water, rinsing and leeching, washing in brine, all help reduce chemicals.

Long term solutions

The long term solution however is the implementation of a policy that will subsidise organic farmers. There are organic outlets but there is a need to increase their numbers. He ended the show by asking people whether they wanted the Centre and other state governments to follow Sikkim’s example and aid farmers in adopting organic farming.