Agriculture Ministry Proposes Complete Ban on Carbosulfan Insecticide

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Key takeaways

The Agriculture Ministry has proposed a complete ban on the insecticide Carbosulfan under the Insecticides Act, 1968.
Carbosulfan is widely used in Indian agriculture to protect crops like paddy, cotton, sugarcane, and vegetables from various pests.
The chemical rapidly breaks down in soil and water into carbofuran, an extremely toxic compound already banned in many countries.
Continuous exposure to Carbosulfan poses severe health risks to farmers and causes heavy mortality among birds, honeybees, and aquatic life.

The Agriculture Ministry has proposed a complete ban on the chemical Carbosulfan. This decision follows expert recommendations under the Insecticides Act, 1968 due to severe risks to human health and the environment.

Carbosulfan is a broad-spectrum carbamate insecticide that kills insects, mites, and roundworms.
It acts as a neurotoxin by blocking the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. This causes chemical buildup in pests, leading to nervous system collapse and fast paralysis.
Farmers use it in paddy cultivation to control destructive pests like stem borers, gall midges, and green leafhoppers.
In cotton farming, it protects plants from sucking pests like aphids, jassids, thrips, and whiteflies.
For fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, and groundnuts, it protects the crops against both soil insects and leaf-eating pests.

Plant roots and leaves absorb Carbosulfan quickly. It spreads through the entire plant body to kill chewing and sucking insects.
It works as a reversible inhibitor of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. This leads to continuous nervous system excitation in targeted pests.
Chemically, it is a pro-pesticide derived from carbofuran. Once applied, it breaks down directly into carbofuran inside plants and soil.
Manufacturers sell it mainly as Emulsifiable Concentrates (EC) and Granules (G) for direct soil application or leaf spraying.

Carbosulfan quickly converts into carbofuran in soil, water, and plants. Carbofuran is an extremely hazardous chemical already banned in many nations.
It poses severe health risks to farmers and consumers through skin contact, chemical inhalation, and toxic residues in harvested food crops.
The chemical causes secondary poisoning and fast death in non-target species, especially birds, honeybees, and helpful soil organisms.
Agricultural runoff carries this chemical from paddy fields into rivers and lakes, contaminating surface water and leaching into groundwater.