Kerala isolated on endosulfan ban

Jun 04, 2011 |

Thiruvananthapuram

Tags:

endosulfan

In a major setback to Kerala, which has been campaigning to evict the hazardous pesticide from the country, as many as 20 states opposed the ban on endosulfan on Friday.

The states conveyed their decision at a meeting convened by the Union agriculture ministry in Delhi to discuss the issue.

Representatives of Kerala demanded a nationwide ban on endosulfan, but no other state supported them.

Karnataka, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, which had earlier called for a ban on the pesticide, did a volte face at the meeting.

Representatives of some states even countered Kerala’s argument that endosulfan caused serious health problems, claiming they had not come across any such problem.

These states also pointed out that endosulfan was less costly and more effective compared to other pesticides available in the market.

Experts say the position taken by a majority of the states would seriously affect the campaign for a nationwide ban on endosulfan.

The Supreme Court had recently banned the pesticide for eight weeks, but in the light of Friday’s development the ban may not be extended.

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