The government is yet to approve HTBt cotton due to concerns over toxicity
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MUSTAFAH KK
After Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the suspension of licence of a pesticides manufacturer, experts are questioning the necessity of indiscriminate approval of herbicide-tolerant varieties. These varieties increase the use of herbicides which ultimately result in polluting the soil, the experts point out.
“There are several herbicides approved for agriculture use whereas there are limited herbicide-tolerant varieties of different crops available in the market. This has created a research push to develop herbicide-tolerant (HT) varieties as well as push sales of those chemicals by companies,” said a senior agriculture scientist.
Sources said researchers in many agriculture institutes and State agriculture universities have been working to develop HT varieties. There has been a push to approve a herbicide-tolerant variety of ‘Swarna sub 1’ rice variety, which is known to be flood tolerant, sources said.
Rajasthan’s action
“As the ‘Swarna sub 1’ paddy is grown where water is abundantly available and there is no weed threat due to water-logged field, there is no need for any HT variety,” said the agriculture scientist.
Last week, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena posted in social media about the State government’s decision to suspend the license of HPM Chemicals and Fertilisers at the direction of Chouhan.
Under the powers conferred by Section 14 of the Insecticides Act, 1968, the manufacturing license No. L-38, L-120 and L-210 granted to M/s HPM Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd (for both units in Rajasthan) is hereby suspended with immediate effect until further orders, pending the final outcome of the investigation, said Anil Kumar Vijay, joint director in agriculture department, Rajasthan, in an Order.
“You are directed to stop the manufacturing, sale, and distribution of all insecticide products from the aforesaid units with immediate effect,” he informed the company citing its Chlorimuron Ethyl has caused damage to soyabean crop in several districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The government is yet to approve HTBt cotton due to concerns over toxicity, even though its cultivation and seeds multiplication have been carried out illegally in a substantial area every year.
Hetbicide’s impact
“The usage of herbicide is adding toxicity to soil. The impact on human, animal and plant is perpetual and generations to come. On the other hand, the herbicide tolerant varieties distort the natural agriculture and good hosts. As our focus and priority in agriculture moving towards natural farming, we need a cautious and balanced approach in this subject,” said S Chandrasekaran, trade policy expert.
The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Kisan Sangh’s general secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra said that his organisation strongly believes that there is no need for herbicides in India and so also herbicide tolerant varieties. “Weeds should be removed rather than killed as there are also many medicinal herbs which naturally grow and killing those is nothing but destruction of biodiversity,” he said.
Published on August 25, 2025