Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami sought to allay the apprehensions raised by a DMK MLA in the Assembly on Tuesday over the usage of pesticides and further advised the farmers to undertake all safety measures while using them.
“While using pesticides, the farmers should mix the prescribed level of water and undertake all precautionary measures. If the pesticides are not used as advised, it might turn poisonous,” Mr. Palaniswami said, while replying to DMK MLA A. Soundarapandian (Lalgudi).
Earlier, Mr. Soundarapandian spoke about how the farmers were being lured into using pesticides by various companies. “It is not as if pesticides are being used only during our government. It has been used for long, and I am aware of that since I am a farmer,” the CM said in his reply.
The CM said if the pesticides were used on vegetables beyond the prescribed limit, the latter would become poisonous.
When the DMK legislator said the government was being indifferent to farmers using traditional seed varieties, Textiles Minister O.S. Manian said the farmers themselves preferred hybrid varieties since they were more productive.
Agriculture Minister R. Doraikkannu refuted the claim of Mr. Soundarapandian that the ruling government was encouraging Bt cotton and said it had been in use during the erstwhile DMK regime too. “The government is not encouraging Bt cotton but some farmers are going for it,” the Minister said.
Mr. Soundarapandian also urged the government to consult with the government of Sikkim, which has fully embraced organic farming.