Lancet. 2017 Oct 21

We found no evidence that means reduction through improved household pesticide storage reduces pesticide self-poisoning. Other approaches, particularly removal of highly hazardous pesticides from agricultural practice, are likely to be more effective for suicide prevention in rural Asia.

Fatally toxic class I pesticides must be banned at the earliest, says CSE  

• Death of farmers due to pesticide poisoning in Maharashtra is unfortunate and could have been avoided; points towards complete failure of agriculture departments in managing pesticides 
• Pesticide poisoning and deaths due to accidental intake of pesticides is a long festering problem in India  
• The incident highlights the urgent need to fix several long-standing gaps in pesticide management in the country
• Most urgently, India needs to ban use of class I pesticides which are very toxic; many of these are banned in other countries
• India needs a new Pesticide Management Bill to stop the unsafe use of toxic pesticides and improve enforcements

Even as the Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar has called for a ban on the herbicide tolerant (HT) genetically modified cotton, the Delhi-based South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC) has claimed that the illegal market is worth about Rs472 crore.

About 35 lakh packets of illegal HT cotton hybrids were sold this kharif season across Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. The SABC also claimed that 8.5 lakhs hectares, or 7% of the total cotton growing area in the country, is under the illegal HT cultivation.

Many of these chemicals have become extremely pervasive in our environment as a result of their widespread repeated use and, in some cases, their environmental persistence

The Wire, 16 Oct 2017

A recent study in Jharkhand showed that farmers are unaware of how to correctly use different chemicals and do not use any protective gear during the process

Seven more farmers have died in the past three days owing to improper spraying of ‘Profex Super’ insecticide on cotton plantations in Yavatmal district, taking the toll to 15

Nine innocent farmers fell ill and died in hospital after spraying toxic insecticides on their cotton produce to save it from pest attacks.

Nagpur: Lack of awareness among locals and particularly failure of the forest department and district administration to take corrective steps is taking toll on sarus cranes in Gondia-Balaghat districts.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Even though mango orchards in the district are in full bloom, excessive use of fungicides and pesticides by lease holders is proving to be a threat to the flowers.