Open sale of hazardous pesticides continues to impact the health of farmers in Maharashtra

“Nothing has been banned after the 2017 poisoning cases. We are selling it,” a pesticide seller said.

Surrounded by agricultural fields, 40 km from Yavatmal town, is Borisinh village, among the many in Maharashtra where farmers continue to suffer from pesticide poisoning.

Hiraman Sayam, 45, among the farmers affected by pesticide poisoning in 2017, despairs that his body does not have strength as it did before. “I woke up feeling breathless and restless, which was followed by fits and seizures. My shivering body gradually turned cold. My cousins tied me to a cot using a rope and sari because I was not able to lie still. They carried me to the Akola Bazaar Prathmik Arogya Kendra Hospital, from there I was referred to the Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College and Hospital,” Mr. Sayam recalls.

He had sprayed an insecticide named Polo, based on a seller’s recommendation that it would significantly increase his cotton yield.

“The doctors said he suffered poisoning from pesticide that entered his body through the skin. Seeing that his condition had not improved, I took a loan from people to admit him to a private hospital, which cost us ₹1,16,000, of which ₹50,000 is yet to be repaid,” his wife Archana told The Hindu.

Her husband had lost his appetite, and doctors are unable to say if the constant spells of dizziness, headaches, and body pain would be cured, Ms. Sayam said. “His monthly medical expense is ₹3,000,” she added, showing the medical bills. The couple’s two children have dropped out of school owing to their financial difficulties.

Formerly a homemaker, Ms. Archana Sayam has had to take over the work in their three-acre farm. After all this, the family continues to depend on pesticides.

Mr. Hiraman Sayam’s cousin, Vijay Sayam, also a farmer, said they had been exposed to pesticides from a young age. “Our parents and grandparents were spraying pesticides and insecticides such as Endosulfan and Monocrotophos. Today, there are specific pesticides for every crop, such as Monosil, an insecticide, and Asphalt, a pesticide. They cost between ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 per 2.5 litre jar,” Mr. Vijay Sayam said. He is training his two minor sons in farming, and continues to spray pesticides as he does not know of viable alternatives.