Friday 28 June 2019

Pesticide Testing and Monitoring

Pesticide Testing and Monitoring
The Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of a pesticide registered for a particular agriculture commodity is fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The range of MRLs may vary both   pesticide-wise and commodities-wise.
For example, MRL of Thiamethoxam for Brinjal is 0.3 mg/kg and for Okra is 0.5 mg/kg whereas MRL of Pyriproxyfen for Brinjal is 0.02 mg/kg and for Okra is 0.03 mg/kg.
The Central Government has enacted the Insecticides Act, 1968 to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides The Registration Committee, constituted under Section 5 of the Insecticides Act, 1968 registers pesticides after considering data on different parameters such as chemistry, bio-efficacy, toxicity, packaging and processing to ensure efficacy and safety to human beings, animals and environment. In additions, technical reviews are carried out from time to time to assess the safety of pesticides for their continued use.Further the monitoring of quality of pesticides is a shared responsibility between the Central and State Governments. Central Government and State Governments have notified   Insecticides Inspectors to check sale of misbranded pesticides. Insecticide samples are drawn on regular basis and analyzed in State Pesticides Testing Laboratories (SPTLs) and at the two Regional Pesticides Testing Laboratories at Chandigarh and Kanpur. Action is initiated under the provisions of the Insecticides Act, 1968 against those samples which are found misbranded.
Corrective actions are being undertaken by this Department to sensitize famers, inter-alia on judicious use of chemical pesticides. This Department has established 35 Central Integrated Pest Management Centres (CIPMCs) across the country. These CIPMCs propagate the use of Integrated Pest Management and recommend judicious use of chemical pesticide. The CIPMCs, inter alia, releases bio-control agents in the fields, conducts Famers Field Schools and organizes IPM orientation programs. In the last three years, 5957.25 million of bio-control agents have been released, 2142 nos. of Farmers Field Schools and 391 nos. of IPM orientation programs have been organized by the CIPMCs. Furthermore, the Annual reports of the ‘MPRNL’ Scheme are also being shared with the State agriculture department to take corrective measures.  

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