| Sl. No. | State | Total pesticides consumed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh | 39948 |
| 2 | Punjab | 29235 |
| 3 | Haryana | 21908 |
| 4 | Maharashtra | 16480 |
| 5 | Rajasthan | 15239 |
| 6 | Gujarat | 13430 |
| 7 | Tamil Nadu | 12851 |
| All India | 210,600 |
Most consumed pesticides in the country (during 2005-06 to 2009-10)
| Sl. No. | Pesticide (Technical Grade) | Quantity consumed (metric tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sulphur (fungicide) | 16424 |
| 2 | Endosulfan (insecticide) | 15537 |
| 3 | Mancozeb (fungicide) | 11067 |
| 4 | Phorate (insecticide) | 10763 |
| 5 | Methyl Parathion (insecticide) | 08408 |
| 6 | Monocrotophos (insecticide) | 08209 |
| 7 | Cypermethrin (insecticide) | 07309 |
| 8 | Isoproturon (herbicide) | 07163 |
| 9 | Chlorpyrifos (insecticide) | 07163 |
| 10 | Malathion (insecticide) | 07103 |
| 11 | Carbendazim (fungicide) | 06767 |
| 12 | Butachlor (herbicide) | 06750 |
| 13 | Quinalphos (insecticide) | 06329 |
| 14 | Copper oxychloride | 06055 |
| 15 | Dichlorvos (insecticide) | 05833 |
CARCINOGENIC PESTICIDES: INDIAN SITUATION
The following is a list of 24 pesticides registered and used in India, classified as Potential Carcinogens by the US EPA: Acephate (C), Alachlor (B2), Atrazine (C), Benomyl (C), Bifenthrin (C), Captan (B2), Chlorothalonil (B2), Cypermethrin (C), Dichlorvos (C), Diclofop-Methyl (C), Dicofol (C), Mancozeb (B2), Methomyl (C), Metolachlor (C), Oxadiazon (C), Oxyflourfen (C), Permethrin (C), Phosphamidon (C), Propiconazole (C), Propoxur (B2), Thiodicarb (C), Thiophanate Methyl (C), Triadimefon (C), Trifluralin (C).
As can be seen, some of these are also listed in the most-consumed pesticides list in the table above!
As per the EPA classification of carcinogenic pesticides, B indicates Probable Human Carcinogen (B2 indicating sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from animal studies and C indicates Possible Human Carcinogen (limited evidence of carcinogenicity in animals, in the absence of human data). The above list has been compiled based on Cox, Caroline. 1992, " A new list of carcinogenic pesticides used in food". Vol. 12, No. 4, Winter 1992, pp. 28, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides for the Indian context.