By Financial Express

NEW DELHI: Indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides has not only caused health and environmental problems, but also increased the cost of production, leading farmers to debt traps and suicides, said a study conducted by a leading credit rating agency—Icra.

The study noted: “In India, traditional agriculture practiced in Indian villages till the 1960s were in harmony with nature. It preserved the diverse life forms with the agro-ecosystems and promoted the conservation of bio-diversity within farming systems.”

However, in the wake of Green Revolution many new problems arose due to use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and the study noted: “The higher dose of pesticides coupled with repeated uses increased the production cost of cotton cultivation manifold.”

The study further said, Combined with lower cotton prices in the late-1990s, many farmers could not repay their loans.

Unable to repay the loans raised, a large number of cotton farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab committed suicide during 2000-02.