Manufacturers, marketers, and dealers in Punjab will not be allowed to sell the chemical or its formulations and sellers will have to return unused stock

1. Glyphosate, its formulations banned in Punjab
2. P[unja]b bans cancer causing glyphosate weedicide
---

1. Glyphosate, its formulations banned in Punjab

By Vibha Varshney
DownToEarth, 25 Oct 2018
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/glyphosate-its-formulations-banned-in-punjab-61934

* After the state agriculture department recently passed an order, manufacturers, marketers and dealers in Punjab will not be allowed to sell the toxic chemical or its form[ulations]

The secretary, Department of Agriculture, Punjab ordered on October 23, 2018 that the herbicide glyphosate would now be regulated in the state. The department has taken the step based on reports of adverse health effects of this chemical. PGIMER in Chandigarh has also provided evidence that the chemical is harmful.

The order points out that the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee of India has approved the use of this chemical only in tea plantations and in non crop areas. Since tea is not grown in the state and non-crop area is also minimal, there is no reason for sale of the product in Punjab.

A meeting convened on June 14, 2018 in Delhi by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare had asked states to take a decision on the sale of the product based on the local requirement. The secretary had also said that there is no need to declare a nationwide ban and all states where cotton is being cultivated should devise the same strategy as followed by Andhra Pradesh.

With this order, manufacturers, marketers and dealers in Punjab would not be allowed to sell the chemical or its formulations and sellers would also have to return the unused stock.

Monsanto, recently bought by Bayer, is the biggest manufacturer of the herbicide across the world. Thousands of people who have become sick after using the chemical have filed cases against the company for failing to warn them of the harmful effects. The court in San Francisco had awarded USD289 million to a petitioner DeWayne Johnson.

But the latest hearing cut down this amount to just USD78 million. Johnson has time till December 7 to decide whether he will accept this amount or would demand a new trial.
---

2. Pb bans cancer causing glyphosate weedicide

The Pioneer, 25 October 2018
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2018/state-editions/pb-bans-cancer-causing-glyphosate-weedicide.html

Punjab Government has banned the sale of glyphosate — an herbicide widely used to control wide variety of weeds in almost all the crops — in the State.

The chemical has been observed to be group 2A Cancer causing material. Besides cancer, this chemical is also known for causing other health problems and has the potential to damage human DNA as per the opinion of experts from the PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Glyphosate is sold in the country under various trade names such as Round-up, Excell, Glycel, Glider, Glydon, Sweep, Glyphogen etc.

Punjab State Farmers’ Commission had also recommended the ban on the sale of this chemical in Punjab.

State Agriculture Secretary KS Pannu said that the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) of the Union Government has recommended the use of this herbicide only for tea garden and non-cropped area and therefore, there is a dire need for strict compliance of the existing label claim of herbicide-Glyphosate as per the conditions of registration with CIB&RC under Insecticide Act, 1968.

There is no cultivation of tea plantation in the state of Punjab and on account of 200 percent crop intensity in the Punjab State, non-cropped is too meagre.

Even this small non-cropped area is also associated with the crop cultivation being the ridges, water channels, bunds and some area between the rows of crops, orchids and canal or drain banks. Therefore, even this area is part of cropped area for all practical purposes.

Pannu said that Punjab Government, after careful consideration, has decided to issue the directions. “All the pesticide manufacturers, marketers and dealers in the State shall not sell Glyphosate formulations or concentrations with immediate effect,” he said.

He added that the licensing authorities have been asked to take necessary steps for removal of entries for Glyphosate from the licenses issued by them.

In addition, all the state pesticide manufacturers, marketers and dealers have also been directed to stop the sale of Glyphosate formulations at all points and to return the entire stock to the concerned companies to reallocate the said stock to the needy states by them.

The state Agriculture director has been asked to take necessary action to implement these directions, said Pannu.