Page 2 - Pesticides

Hong Kong bans sale of Everest, MDH spice mix over ethylene oxide presence

The Centre for Food Safety said there was the presence of ethylene oxide in MDH Group's madras curry powder, sambhar masala powder, and curry powder

Insecticides (India) Ltd Q3 results: Net profit rises 37% to Rs 17.07 crore

Insecticides (India) Ltd on Monday posted a 37.21 per cent rise in its consolidated profit to Rs 17.07 crore in the December 2023 quarter. The company's profit stood at Rs 12.44 crore in the October-December quarter in the year-ago period, according to a regulatory filing. Total income remained flat at Rs 357.94 crore on a consolidated basis during the third quarter of this fiscal. It posted a total income of Rs 356.53 crore in the same quarter of the previous fiscal. Expenses were at Rs 342.13 crore during the period under review. It stood at Rs 344.54 crore a year ago, the filing said. Shares of the company settled 1.96 per cent higher at Rs 618.55 apiece on the BSE.

FSSAI emphasises adoption of bio-pesticides in tea production

Food regulator FSSAI CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao on Friday stressed on adoption of bio-pesticides to ensure safety and quality of tea production. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Rao addressed a gathering of tea growers and tea planters during an interactive session held on Friday in Kellyden, Assam. The event saw active participation from key stakeholders, including officials from FSSAI, the Tea Board, Tea Research Institute, tea planters, tea processors, industry associations and Food and Drug Department of the state, the regulator said in a statement. The focal point of the discussion was enhancing traceability and testing measures for raw materials, emphasising the need for screening every batch for pesticide residues and adherence to Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) of pesticides usage as prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations of 2011 (FSSR). "Rao emphasised the importance of adopting bio-pesticides and encouraged collaboration with the Tea .

IPL Biologicals to set up facility in Gujarat with Rs 400 crore investment

Agro biological company IPL Biologicals on Wednesday said it has inked a pact with the Gujarat government to set up a facility with an investment of Rs 400 crore. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government agency, Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. It seeks to set up "a state-of-the-art biofertilisers, bio pesticides, biofungicide, microbial growth promoter facility in the region," the company said in a statement. "The investment of Rs 400 crore underscores IPL's commitment to promoting eco-friendly farming practices and enhancing soil and environmental health," it said. The company believes the MoU with the state government aligns with the national goal of adopting organic and sustainable practices by 2030, the statement said. Its new facility will contribute to sustainable agriculture, it added. "The major focus of the first phase of production will be on...agriculture products, followed by ...

Pesticide industry opposes Maharashtra draft Bill on aid to farmers

The draft Bill has been put up for public consultation by the state government

Govt bans use of controversial pesticide monocrotophus ahead of SC hearing

Ahead of a pivotal SC hearing, the Central govt has banned four insecticides from a list of 27, triggering mixed reactions

Sale of pesticides worth Rs 18.82 crore banned over quality issues in Maha

The Maharashtra agriculture department has banned the sale of pesticides and fertilisers worth Rs 18.82 crore in Akola district after an inspection showed that they did not meet quality standards, officials said. To ensure the supply of good quality inputs to farmers ahead of the Kharif season, the department collected samples of pesticides and fertilisers from 63 godowns. Of these, the samples of 36 companies had various deficiencies, the department said in a release on Monday. The department then banned the sale of these companies' stocks, worth about Rs 18.82 crore, lying in the godowns, it said.

PACS can be roped in as drone traders for spraying fertilizers: Coop Min

The government on Thursday said Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) can be employed as drone entrepreneurs for spraying fertilizers and pesticides, and for survey of property. This was among the five key decisions taken in a meeting between Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya, the Ministry of Cooperation said in a statement. In the meeting, it was decided that on the basis of mapping, PACS -- which are not functioning as fertilizer retailers -- will be identified and they will be encouraged to function as retailers on the basis of feasibility in a phased manner, it said. Those PACS, which are not currently functioning as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSK), will be brought under the ambit of PMKSK, it added. Further, PACS will also be connected with the marketing of organic fertilizers, especially Fermented Organic Manure (FoM)/ Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM)/ Phosphate Enriched Organic Manure ...

Safe farming

Indiscriminate use of pesticides must be contained

Farmer groups flag crop loss risk if 27 popular pesticides banned

The panel was initially given a time of three months for submission of the findings which was later extended due to the pandemic

FSSAI notifies residue cap for five pesticides in tea plantation

The five pesticides are emamectin, benzoate, fenpyroximate, hexaconazole, propiconazole, and quinalphos

'Merely a proposal': Centre to Supreme Court on lifting pesticide ban

Registration committee is a technical statutory body that evaluates the efficacy and safety of insecticides under the specified conditions for use in the country

Toxic differences persist over ban decision on monocrotophos pesticide

The industry is lobbying for total relaxation of a three-year-old veto but wants lethal chemical proscribed; civil society demands an extension of the ban

Civil society, industry take contrasting positions on pesticide ban order

The panel, it is believed, recommended retaining the ban on only three of the 27 pesticides

Civil society, pesticide industry present contrasting picture on ban order

The Supreme Court also asked the government to place on record two reports on the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides in India

Budget should allocate funds on R&D to develop pesticides, organic manure

The Union budget to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 should look forward to allocating funds on research and development (R&D), said a top official of Insecticides India Limited.

Paris court dismisses Caribbean pesticide use case against French govt

Nearly 20 years after Caribbean islanders sued to hold the French government criminally responsible for the banana industry's extended use of a banned pesticide in Martinique and Guadeloupe, a panel of judges has dismissed their case, ruling that it's too hard to determine who's to blame for acts committed so long ago. The judges in Paris described the use of chlordecone from 1973-1993 as a scandalous environmental attack whose human, economic and social consequences affect and will affect for many years the daily life of the inhabitants of the two French Caribbean islands. But they also asserted that even in the 1990s, scientists had not established links between chlordecone and illnesses in people. How dare they write such a historical and scientific untruth, Christophe Lguevaques, an attorney involved in the case, said in a statement issued on Thursday. Chlordecone, also known as kepone, was patented in the 1950s by scientists working for Allied Chemical, a US company based in N

Pesticide sale via e-com sites welcome but may see more fakes, fear players

A section of players is wary of the proliferation of counterfeit products unless more checks and balances are put in place

Bees and drones give wings to farmers

Areas where drones are making their presence felt include seed propagation, pesticide spraying, yield prediction, land records, insurance assessment, and crop monitoring

Astec Lifesciences hits record high in a weak mkt; stock up 24% in 3 days

The stock of pesticides & agrochemicals company surpassed its previous high of Rs 2,178.85, which it had touched on July 20, 2022