Do we really have alternatives to Endosulfan?

In India, the use of Endosulfan is much more critical. It is the most widely used generic pesticide in India with significant use in crops such as cotton, pulses, tea, mango, vegetables and oilseeds. It is the only pesticide which is soft on pollinating insects such as honeybees and beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles and chrysoperla, among others. In fact, Endosulfan is widely recommended for use during pollination and in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Insect Resistance Management (IRM) programs globally. Farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh are the largest users of Endosulfan in India, each using more than a million liters of the generic contact pesticide. They will stand to lose most of all in case of a move to ban the nation-wide use of Endosulfan. The alternatives available to them are expensive, and not nearly as effective on precious cash-crops.

Cost Comparison: Endosulfan and its Alternatives

Product	MRP per Lt or Kg		Cost per acre
		Cotton	Veg	Paddy
Endosulfan 35% EC	286	114	46	69
Flubendiamide 39.35 SC	13800	690		276
Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC	12280	737	246	737
Emamectin Benzoate 5% SG	8400	739	672
Flubendiamide 20% WG	7434	743		372
Thiamethoxam actera	4010	321	321	160
Indoxacarb 14.5 SC	3400	680	544

India’s premier agricultural university, Punjab Agricultural University, which in 2007 compared bio-efficacy of all contemporary insecticides, ranked Endosulfan as the best and most ideal for use in cotton crops.

Performance of various insecticides against insect pests and safety to natural enemies of cotton

Insecticides	Insect Pests						Natural enemies	Remarks
	J	W	PBW/SBW	ABW		TC
				Young	Grown up
Endosulfan	Good	Good	Good	Good	Poor	Very good	Safe	Safer to the natural enemies, low resistance to ABW early in the season
				Synthetic pyrethroids
	Poor	Poor	Very poor	Poor	Poor	Poor	Toxic	Excessive use can cause resurgence of whitefly and ABW, high level of resistance to ABW

J= Jassid; W= Whitefly; SBW= Spotted bollworm; PBW= Pink bollworm; ABW= American bollworm; TC= Tobacco caterpillar
Source: Punjab Agricultural University, India