Of pesticides, other evils and me

     

Just few days (that is on 4^th August), my friend Devakumar commented that “The CCFI ridiculing organic farming may eat a humble pie” on Facebook post related to the IT grad making a big money (Rs 15.2 million) by selling organic ginger and turmeric (thebetterindia.com  3^rd Aug 2020). I did not understand the context in which he had made these remarks, and hence, he guided me to the link that happened to be perfect storm related to pesticide use. Just to give a background for those who are not aware, it started with a big advertorial (Business Standard 29 July 2020) of Nirmala Pathrawal, an Executive Director of Crop Care Foundation of India (CCFI), an NGO of the pesticide lobby. The advertorial is one that gives an impression of news or opinion but actually a mouthpiece of those who can get it published in the newspaper. 

So, Nirmala Pathrawal of CCFI published a big advertorial with a catchy title “Beware of foreign funded environmental NGOs: They are paid to malign Indian agriculture” calling some people by name and exposing their alleged evil deeds such as reports of foodstuff contamination with pesticide residues, so-called unsubstantiated claims of ill effects on public health and receiving foreign funding for carrying anti-pesticide (to some extent anti-Indian agriculture) related activities.

Indian pesticide Industry has a domestic market of about $2.77 billion and export market of $2.31 billion annually and is ranked 4^th in the world. It is growing at a CAGR of 8%. The UPL limited (formerly United Phosphorous Limited) of Rajju Shroff is dominant player with multinational business, with a large portfolio of generic pesticides. Recently the Government proposed a ban of 27 pesticides which is likely to affect domestic market to the extent of $700 million, and consequently UPL business will be significantly affected. And so will be with many other domestic pesticide companies. Quite naturally, UPL through CCFI (which it controls) would like to protect its interests, projecting pesticides in agriculture as essential to reduce crop losses due to pests, enumerating its benefits. And this has been a main crux of matter for many webinars organized by the pesticide lobby. Probably it feels threatened by those opposing pesticide use and calling for ban on pesticides, which could be a reason for advertorial. The anti-pesticide lobby calls for banning pesticides, and even reducing use of all other agrochemicals including fertilizers as it feels that these poison an environment, affect public health and are proving uneconomic with rising costs. This lobby does not see any benefits in use of pesticides.  It is this lobby that has popularized the term ‘chemical’ to be responsible for all ill effects. Simple and easy, ‘chemical’ has become a common term to use, found space in the minds of many, and is most hated by those promoting natural farming, organic farming, zero budget natural farming etc. etc.

The first time I suffered from ill-effects of such or similar ‘chemicals’ was many years ago when I was in my teens. In the company of friends, I drank liquor and later vomited a lot until my stomach ache gave me good kicks. Later, I drank, but in moderation and over the period of time, I gave up. My ex-driver never ever gave up drinking. I was told that he spiced his drink to keep himself very high. Liquor or alcoholic drinks are new norms in the society. And for some, party is incomplete without it, so much so that it has become a necessity even in the pious function like marriage too. It is said that no marriage is complete without RC in Punjab. Survey in 2014-15 showed about 27% men in Punjab take alcohol. However, it has brought in miseries too. Yesterday only, the TV flashed a news of more than 100 people in Punjab dying due to consumption of illicit liquor. The ‘Udta Punjab’ a film in 2016 correctly depicts bane of liquor and other narcotics.

Another evil I did not succumb to was tobacco. Early years, I was introduced to smoke ajwain (carom seeds) bidis by my mother to overcome cold that brought running nose. She did not ask me go in for brandy. It is likely that she may not have heard of it. I do not know if that smoke cured me of cold or not. But few smoking seasons here or there, sometime during educational tours also brought reality of high costs. I did not join the bandwagon. Over the years, I found some of my friends and relatives succumbing to tobacco addiction. My uncle had throat cancer as he smoked cigarettes. Quite a rich man in the beginning and later virtually a begger if not in that literary sense.

Liquor and tobacco are taboo, evils for me. However, as I grew up and agriculture became my academic career, and a job in agricultural research and education my means of livelihood. I became conversant with pests, pest management and pesticides remained itched into my mind. And so is the case of many like me and eventually all those in the Government institutions.

In a webinar organized recently by the Kheti Virasat Mission on ‘proposed banning of 27 pesticides’ by the Government, speakers supported the ban, as they felt that pesticides are real evils. Another expert said that they cause endocrine disruption affecting hormones, causing infertility, foetal abortion, birth defects. And in the same vein, a mention of cancer train from Bhatinda going all the way to Rajasthan was also made. Malwa region of Punjab which has this city of Bhatinda is reported to have high cases of cancer.  Being a cotton growing region, pesticides used to be sprayed too often and too much especially prior to Bt cotton in 2005. Water is contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic etc, as tube wells are sunken deeper and deeper. But the speaker emphasized more on pesticide use than arsenic and other heavy metals to be responsible for the cancer cases. The same expert conveniently forgot to mention high drinking habits in men (27%) and tobacco use (20%) as was reported by him and his colleagues in the survey of 2014-15. It is well known that both are carcinogenic. Two agricultural experts talked largely against pesticide use, but with a caveat to use them as a last resort or in passing in the webinar. This reminded me of influence of surroundings that ‘you live in here to fit into theme of the day’. Each day is a new day and new beginning.

So, now I have known three evils liquor, tobacco and pesticides. After the webinar, I talked on phone to Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission to know more about his opinion on pesticides and as to how he formed on opinion on pesticide ban. Umendra Dutt appeared to be a nice gentle man, listened to me and then wanted to know about my pro- or anti-stand on pesticides. I told him that I am for discriminate use of pesticides, as a part of integrated pest management. Umendra Dutt however believed in ill effects of pesticides and staunch supporter of ban. Dutt was found to be against Bt cotton as he equated it with pesticides. For him, Bt crops are evil too.

Now we have four evils-liquor, tobacco, pesticides and GMOs. I googled to find out alcohol consumption in India. The tribune report of 23 February 2019 shows that more than half of Punjabi men drink alcohol and close to 43% have more than 4 drinks at a time. Besides, children do not lag behind, with nearly 6% of them going for a booze. The Times of India report of 23 September 2018 quotes WHO to state that 30,000 deaths amongst cancer patients are traced to liquor consumption and nearly 140 000 people die due to liver cirrhosis caused by excessive consumption in India and another 100 000 deaths due to liquor influenced accidents. And these figures are for the whole India. So, liquor is a poison. Alcoholic beverages are classified as carcinogenic to human in Group 1 (definitely cancerous) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR), well respected non-profit scientific organization located in Lyon, France.

Tobacco consumption in India was the second highest after China until 2016. A silver lining is that it has been declining since then. Yet, the figures of Global Tobacco Surveys show the consumption of tobacco to the extent of about 25%. Tobacco chewable products are holding the ground in various forms like gutka, etc. Tobacco as smoke and chewable has been long known to cause pre-mature deaths and is a reason for cancer. In 2003, COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) was enacted to reduce tobacco consumption in the country. And smoking is reported to cause 11% deaths. Tobacco chewing could add significantly to this number. Tobacco in any form is harmful to health. It is also poison. As many as 81 compounds in the cigarette smoke are reported to be cancerous, with 11 in Group 1 (definitely cancerous), 14 in Group2A (probably cancerous) and rest in Group2B (possibly cancerous) by IACR.

Pesticides are poison, as the name itself suggests, but the poison is selective to pest species like mosquitoes or disease causing pathogens, etc. that are harmful to humans and his environment. Pesticides sounds very similar to homicides. However, similarity ends here. Pesticides selectivity is largely due to low doses required for killing pest species and also the specificity of action as the target sites differ in their structure and many other properties.

Pesticides did not cause any deaths like those by liquor or tobacco, through addiction; but more through accident. Many years ago, 1958 to be more precise, more than 100 people died due to eating of bread made out of wheat flour contaminated with parathion in Kerala. The recent case is of Yavatmal in 2017 when more than 40 people died due to pesticide poisoning while spraying of cotton crop. Every year, we hear some dying due to pesticide use especially during hot humid monsoon season. Pesticide poisoning-intentional and accidental accounts for about 250,000 deaths worldwide annually which is little less than one-third of total suicides as per WHO report.  Using the above figure, let us estimate number of deaths due to pesticide poisoning for India. About 50, 000 tons of pesticide are used in India, as compared to 2,500 000 tons in the world which is about 50-fold more.  And hence 2,50,000 x 50,000/2,500,000=5,000 people are dying due to pesticide poisoning in India. Add to this, some who are unsuccessful in suicide deaths, but suffer thereafter from disability as a result of poisoning. As far as suicide due to pesticide is concerned, about 11% of suicides in India are attributed to pesticide use as reported in 2014 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016503271730280X).  Besides, suicides especially of farmers are being attributed to Bt cotton by anti-GM lobby, no matter that is in concurrence with systematic studies or not. In 2014, Ian Plewis of University of Manchester analysed farmers suicide in the context of Bt cotton cultivation, and did not find Indian suicide rate as a whole as notably high in the world context and not related to Bt cotton (Significance, Royal Statistical Society, Feb 2014).  

I talked this morning (9 August 2020) to J.S. Thakur of Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, who spoke of carcinogenic effects of pesticides in the webinar mentioned above. Thakur did not discuss this matter on phone any further. Of course, I wanted to know as to how he arrived at the fact that pesticides are greater evil than arsenic and other heavy metals in the ground water as responsible for causing cancer. I also wanted to know as to why North East states have higher cancer despite the fact that they don’t use as much pesticide as Punjab uses. But Thakur did not talk much and hence, I was more circumspect to request for his reprints on this aspect. I have not heard from him until now. Contrary to the above opinion, is the one of D. Kanungo, former DDG with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare who reported that not a single pesticide caused cancer in his talk in the 8^th Agrochemical seminar organized by FICCI in New Delhi in 2019. In a book entitled "Cancer in Malwa region of Punjab-Ill-founded premises" published by FICCI and authored by D Kanungo, cancer incidence in Punjab of 88 cses per 100 000 people compares well with all-India average of 99 cases for per 100 000 people, while it is 300 in USA, 196 in Singapore and 180 in the world. Again, amongst Indian states, cancer is reportedly high in the north-eastern states, wherein pesticides are least used. Similarly, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh use maximal pesticides, while states like Kerala very less, yet cancer incidence is at par. India ranks 156th in cancer incidence as compared to many developed countries like Denmark, Australia, Belgium, Norway and USA in the order of 1st to 5th (Globocan 2012 IARC).

These figures on suicides or cancer are not meant to trivialize deaths, whatever be a reason. Life of every human being matters. At the same time, it is necessary to pinpoint the cause and not merely state the association. Unfortunately, nationwide as the covid19 incidence increases in the country, with India lagging behind US and Brazil, the numbers in respect of infection, recovery etc. are conveniently used to buttress your own view point. Some prefer ethics over the statistics, and yet others with their unwavering opinion that they like us to listen and believe them too. Many anti-pesticide people belong to this category. 

Let us now come to GM crops. Some people I have met definitely call GM crops as unsafe as food, feed and for environment. Google search leads me to some sites like those of ISAAA and others. Yet, the most comprehensive report on GM crops is that of Fred Gould of University of North Carolina in 2016. And this report was prepared on behalf of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine set up by the US Government in 1863 as a private, non-governmental institution to advise the nation on the issues related to science and technology. I think this is enough to talk about credibility of this report. And the report found the GM products as safe. I had plenty of time to listen to the presentations made by various experts during 2015-16, and listening to the experts’ opinion even of those opposed to it or doubtful of this technology was a treat without show of any hatred, ill-will but compassionate opinion. Of course, some who spoke in favour of GMOs were mostly those who had researched and known the science behind these crops and hence were convinced of benefits of GMOs. The GM crops have played a very positive role in the context of food security over the last two decades. On the contrary, those who spoke against GMOs were carried away with benefits of organic or natural farming.

Apart from the scientific experiments related to biosafety, there is no report of large scale and long term testing of GM food for their safety as often anti-GM lobby demands. And such a testing is not acceptable logically as a matter of scientific principles. But the Starlink maize provided a window of opportunity to learn by accident. The Starlink maize expressing Cry9 toxin was developed in 2000 and was approved as feed as Environmental Protection Agency of USA had some reservations about the allergenic reactions that toxin may cause. And approval as a feed was the easiest route the company thought to gain some market share. However, starlink maize reached food products, as the maize meant for human consumption was found contaminated with starlink maize. This was the perfect case for finding out ill-effects of GM food. I googled to find out human mortality that might have occurred by accidental eating of maize products contaminated with GM starlink. There is none. In a book on GM crops that Ian Godwin, Professor at the University of Queensland, Brisbane published last year by Royal Chemistry Society, UK, there is no mention of mortality. But there are some alleged pointers. More than 40 people reported adverse effects to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including three deaths attributed to severe allergic reactions. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believed that 28 cases were possibly StarLink related, although CDC blood tests ultimately concluded none of the people had reactions connected to the StarLink protein. And this clearly shows that Bt maize did not cause any adverse effect. I am sure that many of us have heard of CDC during these Corona pandemic and needless to say that most believe what its director Anthony Fuci says rather than Donald Trump. This is to emphasize the fact that CDC is one of the most credible organizations.

About 3 years ago, I was associated with Navsari Agricultural University as an ICAR adjunct scientist. One fine day, I found out that food preparations in the canteen where I ate daily for fifteen days were made in cottonseed oil. Cottonseed oil came from Bt cotton seed. I did not feel any difference in the taste, or ill-effects of eating fried, sautéed or cooked food with Bt cottonseed oil during that time or even later. Yet, the firstpost report of 29 September 2017 (firstpost.com) with screaming headline “Thanks to Monsanto's reckless practices, Bt toxins in adulterant cottonseed oil may be seeping into your samosas” scaring readers and quoting the Parliamentary committee headed by Renuka Chowdhary that scolds those responsible by saying

“86. The Committee observes that there are several animal studies indicating serious health risks associated with GM food including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system which should also be examined thoroughly before arriving this conclusion that there lies no negative impact on animal health on account of GM crops.”

 Report 301, PSC ST on GM Crops & Environmental impact August 2017.

Even after 15 years of Bt cotton cultivation and use, the Parliamentary committee asks for thorough studies before arriving at ‘no negative impact on animal health on account of GM crops’.

The firstpost found Bt toxins adulteration in the cottonseed oil. It is difficult to comprehend as we ourselves tested for toxin presence in some brands of cottonseed oil. As Bt toxins are proteins, it is difficult to relate that these will be extracted in oil. Unfortunately, the firstpost didn’t survey for other adulterants in the cottonseed oil to know the extent and likelihood of harm that they may be causing. My own google search shows about 75% loose cottonseed oil samples being contaminated with such adulterants that might be a cause of cancer, liver damage, cardiac arrest etc as per Consumer Voice quoted in the Kochi report of 12 June 2018 in the New Indian Express.

I believe that many of us are drinking milk of the cattle that feed on diet supplemented with Bt cotton seed or its cake which might contain Bt cotton in ppm or ppb quantity. Please do your own search to know what ppb and ppm means. I googled to find out if there are any adverse effect of feeding of Bt cotton cake on cattle and one on murrah buffalo says no difference is found between those fed with Bt cotton seed and other with non-Bt cotton seeds.

I googled to find out if Bt toxins are found in milk in India, but there is none. However, FSSAI report (quoted in 22 October 2019 in National Herald) does mention traces of aflatoxin M1 in the milk samples and about 5.7% samples showing more than permissible amount of aflatoxin M1 and more than 47% milk samples failing to meet one or other quality criterion set for milk. Let it be mentioned that aflatoxins are carcinogenic as I access the website of National Cancer Center of NIH, USA (https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/aflatoxins).

Did I talk about carcinogenic effects of pesticides? Yes, these are the allegations of anti-pesticide lobby. I wonder if any regulatory agency will approve carcinogenic pesticides for use in agriculture and public health. Not in their sane state of mind! Insecticide Act 1968 provides for the stringent testing of pesticides, and so are the stringent requirements for Bt toxins/Bt crops as per EPA Act. I have talked about people who opposed pesticides and GM crops. I thought of their opposition to alcohol and tobacco. My google search does not lead to anything great said or campaigned against tobacco and alcohol by these people.

Two decades later, with 7.5 million cotton farmers cultivating about 11 million hectares, yet some people continue to believe that GM crops are risks and link Bt cotton to farmers’ suicides in India.

Now back to advertorial, the title is eye-catching. Beware of foreign-funded foreign environmental NGOs and they are to malign Indian agriculture. It was in March 2019 that we heard of ban on the foreign funded NGOs to operate and some hundreds had to close the shop. It is likely that CCFI may like the Government to act against the NGOs working against use of pesticides in agriculture. But it is a contradiction that the Government itself proposed a ban on 27 pesticides and will succumb to such gambits. Thus, CCFI’s move appears to be ill-timed.

CCFI’s main contention appears to be its opposition to the anti-pesticide lobby which complains of food-stuff and other environmental contamination with pesticide and ill-effects on people. And in its advertorial, CCFI gives many reports/instances of food commodities allegedly contaminated with pesticide residues which in its opinion are either fabricated, exaggerated or intentionally aimed to affect adversely India’s image and Indian export in the worlds’ view. CCFI and other pesticide groups often quote reports on pesticide residues of the scheme on ‘Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level (MPRNL)’ to state that food contamination is not high and comparable with those in the developed countries. As per this http://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/MPRNL%20Guidelines_0.pdf download, only 2.1% samples of food commodities and environmental samples like soil and water were found to be above MRL in 2017-18 and similar is the trend for previous years. Quite a comfortable fact. However, equally uncomfortable is a recent report (Times of India, 24^th Oct. 2019) of residues on vegetables in Gujarat which had nearly 14.4% samples contaminated and of these, 70% had residues of non-approved pesticides and about 3% had more than MRL levels, from the detailed report of 2017-18 made available vide File No. 7(5) 2019/Pesticide Residues/RCD/FSSAI dt 16.10.2019 (https://fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2019/10/5da705b31ca78Letter_Report_Pesticides_MRL_16_10_2019.pdf). This reminds me of old saying “Devil lies in Details” or “Correct your knowledge about statistics”.

“An old jest runs to the effect that there are three degrees of comparisons among liars. There are liars, there are outrageous liars, and there are scientific experts” [attributed to Sir Robert Giffen, a Scottish Statistician and Economist (Econ J 2(6) (1892), 209-238]. Similar phrase was popularised by Mark Twain in 1906, but he limited scientific experts to ‘statistics’. This is often incorrectly attributed to former British Prime Minister Disraeli (Reference: Good Enough to Eat: Ian Godwin 2019, RCS, London).

Having seen 2017-18 report, I am now curious to have a look at others. But these are not available at fsssai.gov.in website nor I could not locate them.

Accidently I have also downloaded 2017 report from FDA site of the US which is a 55-page document on food commodities only and does not include soil, water etc. This report of 2017 on pesticide residue was made public in September 2019 and a delay of 2-3 years in making report available on website has been a trend at this website (https://www.fda.gov/food/pesticides/pesticide-residue-monitoring-program-reports-and-data).

I am not sure of logic behind making report public 2-3 year late or report not available in public domain. This will indirectly arouse public curiosity and give rise to doubts that the Government would like to hide. Unfortunately, that will also have bearing on the pesticide industry. And the society will continue its quest for transparency.

Although not explicit, one of the pesticide groups does not want any report of spurious or illegal pesticide made public, which in their opinion affect again India’s image in its production of quality pesticides.

I feel that pesticide groups in this country need to set their houses in order rather than spat in public. And these spats are public at the times when we need to discuss more passionately PMB2020 beyond the self-interests.

The pesticide groups probably feel obsessed with organic or natural farming and hence, CCFI’s advertorial mentions it in the last para. Organic farming is itself riddled with contradictions. The policy document entitled “Organic Farming Policy of 2005” is sketchy and in its infancy. However, one of APEDA’s document of Ministry of Industry and commerce (http://www.apeda.gov.in/apedawebsite/organic/ORGANIC_CONTENTS/English_Organic_Sept05.pdf) does mention details of allowed inputs for pest and disease control on organic production. and include decoction of Derris, Tephrosia, Lonchocarpus, Quassia, Ryania, neem, pyrethrum, derris, Pongamia etc., copper salts, Bordeaux mixture, some homoepathic, ayurvedic, herbal and biodynamic preparations, amongst others. Some of these preparations have oral LD₅₀ for rat far lower than synthetic insecticides and others not known to have standards for their active ingredients and their quantities, which make them most likely to harm to humans as well as environment. Yet, proponents of organic farming have faith in such preparations, faith for which they don’t need any scientific proofs nor will they accept rigours of research.

Back to my facebook post, how does it matter for any other organization if an organic farmer earns Rs 15.2 million from sale of organic ginger and turmeric annually? There are people who earn money from garbage. Earning money is different from farming. Not every organic farmer will earn as much. And if organic or natural or any kind of farmer makes money, and as much as the above organic farmer, we should be fine with it. I don’t think that the CCFI or any other pesticide group should worry itself if organic or natural farming succeeds or not. Of course, as my friend Devakumar said of CCFI eating a humble pie, with the IT grad making a moolah from its organic sale; there is someone doing equally well with the contemporary agrotechnology too, but he or she is not in the news.  

PostScript: I have got a newspaper clipping (14th Aug 2020 Punjab Govt Gazette)  that states that Punjab has banned some pesticides for 60 days. This action is based upon its perception of probable misuse of pesticides that take place during this period. Is there any benchmark to decide or is it whimsical verbose action? The Gazette attempts that, but leave much to imagine too.