Thiruvananthapuram:
Seeking to reduce the use of pesticides, Kerala Government has decided to make it a must for farmers to get 'prescription' from agricultural officers for buying them from shops.
The guidelines, issued by Director of Agriculture recently, said agricultural officers should write details such as the name of the crop, the affliction from which the plant suffers and chemical composition of the pesticide and dosage required in the prescriptions to be given to farmers, sources in Agriculture Department said.
Dealers would be asked to sell pesticides only on prescriptions and should enter the details in their registers. Strict action would be taken against dealers or retailers who violate the rules.
"The LDF Government in Kerala had earlier adopted a policy of making the state pesticide-free and to promote organic farming in a big way. These guidelines are a major step forward in that direction," the sources said.
The state has been pressing the Centre for a nationwide ban on Endosulfan, the pesticide which allegedly caused serious health problems and casualties in parts of Kasargode district.
Endosulfan and a few other brand of pesticides have been banned in the state after it was found that they have caused health problems and environmental degradation.