The government of Tamil Nadu has started putting into effect the newly announced new glyphosate use and sale laws from the Center. The use of glyphosate is prohibited by the new legislation, and only pest control operators (PCOs) are permitted to use it.
Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that finds use in agriculture, forestry, industrial weed control, lawn and garden care, and aquatic environments. Glyphosate is most commonly used in the production of soybeans, field corn, pasture, and hay.
Although pure glyphosate is not toxic, most products contain other ingredients that help plants absorb glyphosate. Other ingredients in the product may increase its toxicity. Glyphosate-containing products may irritate the eyes or skin.
Due to this, the TN Agriculture Director has instructed all joint directors in the districts to review godown- and shop-level stock information and quickly issue stop-sale orders to glyphosate wholesalers and retailers.
“After assessing the stock, the stop sale order shall be issued with an instruction to the concerned stating that glyphosate and its derivatives should be sold only to pest control operators with bill and sale report furnished to the respective block assistant director every month without fail,” as per the Director of Agriculture.
Use of Glyphosate
Glyphosate has been used as a ground application to control weeds in tea plantations for nearly four decades. According to the United Planters’ Association of South India (UPASI), the plantation sector should be exempted from the new glyphosate use norms because it would increase tea growers’ costs.
According to UPASI, PCOs are mostly available in cities where private pest control activities for household purposes or fumigation of exported commodities are required. It also stated that the current total number of licenced PCOs in India is far less than the actual requirement to serve the country’s tea plantations, which cover 5.66 lakh hectares.