Punjabi Farmers Reaping Harvests Rich In Pesticides As Yields Continue To Fall Despite Spraying

[hatrack]

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The problem here, as in many other places in the world, is that the benefit of high yields from new seed types was not long-lasting, and the pests kept ahead of the pesticides. An old man, suffering from cancer, told me that in recent years he has had to spray round the clock to keep the pests off his wheat.

The sprays all have instructions demanding that they should only be used with face masks and protective clothing. But the farm workers here do not use protective equipment, and they spray far more than the recommended amount.

The cause of cancer is always a contentious issue, but a new study from the Punjabi University at Patiala ruled out other potential factors like age, alcohol intake and smoking, concluding that the way the sprays are used is causing cancer.

The farmers told me that they wanted the same agricultural scientists who had given them the high yields of the 1970s to come up with something else. They know that what they are doing now is unsustainable, because they are getting lower yields despite using more spray and paying more for fertiliser because of the high oil price. None had heard of organic farming.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7366899.stm