Dimethoate: The Banned Pesticide Still Used in India.

A pesticide accused of damaging DNA, raising cancer concerns, and outlawed in much of the world remains legal in India. But at what cost? Dimethoate is an organophosphate that was invented during the World War 2. Although it was originally invented for military purposes, post war it was used for agricultural use. Studies reveal that long term exposure to such chemical causes increased concerns about cancer and other health problems. Dimethoate has been currently banned across scores of countries, namely Italy, Spain , Germany , Australia , US and many other. France was among the earliest of these countries to prohibit the use of Dimethoate after pesticide residue was detected in cherries and other fruits. However the larger question remains, a pesticide banned in nearly 31 countries continues to be sold in India? Why? The answer to this question revolves around 2 aspects , firstly the affordability and secondly the effectiveness of Dimethoate. In May 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture ordered the ban of 27 pesticides including Dimethoate , however the ministry encountered strong opposition from the agrochemical manufacturers. Eventually the authorities adopted a partial approach. Despite , many argue that this approach is seen to be least effective as the farmers lacked awareness about technical regulations. As Dimethoate remains to be in use in our country, the concern no longer is confined to a pesticide rather the health of millions.