EU, Endosulfan and Stockholm Convention

European Union calls for ban on endosulfan, solely on the basis on trade interests rather
than scientific truth, citing health hazards.
Those sneaky imperialists

Today, at a press briefing in Chennai, Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PFMAI) alleged that European Union (EU), the lead proponent for calling a blanket ban on the supposedly harmful endosulfan pesticide which is blamed for health effects or 'endosulfan poisoning' in Karsargod, Kerala is actually driven by trade interests!

Firstly, this claim coming from a manufacturers association seems to be a little difficult to digest at the first go. But what surprises us the most that the most 'elementary truth' has to be 'spelled out' for everyone, including the media.

Hasn't EU been doing this for ages! If you look at the facts, European Union (EU) is the largest stakeholder in the global pesticide. Also, EU's posturing and arm-twisting policies against the manufacturing of 'generic' drugs, the back bone of India Pharmaceutical Industry, is well documented.

So it does not surprise us that EU will go to any length to protect their precious money churning patented pesticides by calling for a worldwide ban on endosulfan at the most sacrosanct of global gatherings, the Stockholm Covention.

There is a move to label endosulfan as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) chemical at the Stockholm Convention. And guess what, if endosulfan is banned the farmer in India may be left with no choice but to purchase replacement products which are 10 times more costlier, not proven to be a safe alternative to endosulfan and are patented by private European manufacturers.

If tomorrow European Union decides that it does not wish to manufacture or export the 'replacement pesticide' to India, what is the Indian farmer going to do? EU has managed to sabotage it's own food security by extreme protectionism, is India to suffer the same fate? How do the organic farming proponents plan to feed a billion Indian mouths without endosulfan? Does the common man have to suffer as commodity prices sky rocket to astronomical prices? Does the Indian farmer in Vidarbha, Maharashtra & Andhra Pradesh suffer the same "suicidal' fate that the current local agricultural economy has failed to curb?    

The funniest part is, European Union (EU) is not even a heavy user of endosulfan, as the insecticide is most efficient in temperate climate zones such as India, Brazil, Argentina (Latin America), Africa, China, South Asian countries and so on, where incidentally endosulfan has been used for decades and is still not banned due to its efficacy being soft on pollinators like honey bees.

A skeptical eye may be able to see clearly through the lies propagated by vested interests and read through the underlying economic imperialist agenda. We all, citizens of India, have been hoodwinked by distorted reality and misinformation campaign undertaken to deprive the Indian farmer his right to livelihood, liberty, justice and freedom of choice.

For our previous post on Media Lies and Victims of Endosulfan read  European Union's agenda read:
Endosulfan poisoning victims: Different numbers, similar lies?

Vested interests demand Endosulfan ban: PMFAI

Vested interests in demanding ban on endosulfan: PMFAI

We observed this update from Press Trust of India (PTI) today on Wednesday, December 22, 2010. Voice of Keralam has been a staunch supporter of farmers and workers in India. The recent Endosulfan controversy and public calls to ban Endosulfan, an immensely useful insecticide did not go down well with us, after we looked into the real scientific facts and data. This story validates that Voice of Keralam is the true voice of the people of God's own country. We will continue to watch development on Endosulfan as they unfold and ensure that the truth is presented in its originality from all sides, to give cut through the noise and bring you the reality.       

   

New Delhi: Domestic pesticide makers today said that the demand for banning endosulfan pesticide in India is being driven by vested interests of Multinational firms.

"The demand for banning Endosulfan in India, is motivated by the vested interest of European pesticide makers, who are interested in promoting their patented products in the country," Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) President Pradeep Dave told reporters here.

European companies, which have vested business interests are lobbying for imposing an international ban on endosulfan as the ban would create a market for their products in the third world countries, he said.

Endosulfan Workers oppose ban.
Endosulfan is being used for the last 50 years
in India with no negative health effects.
The replacement pesticide will be at least
10 times costlier than Endosulfan. 

Dave added that endosulfan is being used in the country for the last 50 years and there has been no such scientific records available, which indicate that the use of this chemical has resulted into serious health hazards of any kind.

International Stewardship Centre, an NGO working for chemical industry, said that replacing endosulfan with any other chemical would be at least 10 times costlier for the Indian farmers.

"A litre of endosulfan costs Rs 250 to Indian farmers whereas any chemical manufactured by multinational would cost more than Rs 2,500 per litre thus making the use of pesticides 10 times costlier," International Stewardship Centre Chairman R Hariharan said.

He said that India is the largest producer, user and exporter of endosulfan. The total market in India for the pesticide is around USD 60 million and the country exports around another USD 40 million worth endosulfan. 

Source: Press Trust of India (PTI)

H/T India Reports [India Reports | Vested interests in demanding ban on endosulfan: PMFAI ]