Carbofuran: a toxic tale

Responding to a UN call for a worldwide ban, carbofuran, a highly toxic pesticide, was banned by the government last year. However, due to a lack of monitoring and enforcement, the pesticide is still being sold openly across the country.

Carbofuran, widely used in agriculture, was first banned on June 30 last year. Then the deadline for the ban was extended till October 30, following a request from importers and traders to sell the already imported stock.

Bangladesh became the 88th country to ban carbofuran since the UN called for it in 2016, terming carbofuran harmful to both human health and fertility of arable lands.

According to WHO, most people die in Bangladesh due to heart disease and stroke, and food poisoning is one of the main causes of them.

Nurul Alom, entomologist and former director of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), said, "The soil's fertility will keep decreasing if carbofuran usage continues."

Nurul also said when carbofuran is used in farmland, the crops remain toxic for 30 days after use.

However, visiting a dozen shops last month across 10 districts, including Munshiganj, Faridpur, Sunamganj, Rajbari, Dhaka, and Manikganj, The Daily Star found carbofuran is still being sold to farmers. Besides, several e-commerce sites are selling the banned pesticide on social media platforms.

This correspondent saw farmers purchasing carbofuran from Barkat Seed Store in Dholagao Bazar, Munshiganj, on January 20.

Posing as a buyer, when this correspondent asked for carbofuran, shop owner Barkat Hossain said one kg of "Corfuran-5G of Corbel Company" would cost Tk 160. "It effectively works on various pests," said Barkat.

Another pesticide shop owner Rubel Molla said he had a stock of 10 kg carbofuran from three different brands. "Which brand do you want?" asked Rubel.

This correspondent visited over eight shops in Munshirhat, Dholagao, and Baligao bazars in Munshiganj and found all of them selling carbofuran openly.

In Sunamganj's Jaobazar, Idris Ali, owner of Khan Enterprises, said he had a stock of 70 kg carbofuran from McDonald brand.

"The government banned it, so the stock is low. But we can supply more if the demand increases," said Idris Ali.

Adam Ali, executive director of Corbel Chemicals International Ltd, said, "We don't have any stock. Some shops may have our product [carbofuran]."

Mohammed Shaifullah Biswas, head of sales, Marketing & Business at McDonald Bangladesh (Pvt) Ltd, said, "If someone has a packet or two, those could be isolated cases."

Ariful Islam, who runs an e-commerce shop, told The Daily Star he provides home delivery for agricultural products, including carbofuran.

"We sell carbofuran in retail. We also send the product via courier service to any place in the country," he said.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 252 companies import, process, and sell carbofuran in the country.

There were around 3,285 tonnes of carbofuran stock as of June 2023, according to the Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC).

PTAC, in a meeting last year, directed all the companies to destroy the leftover stock by October 30 or face legal action, like cancellation of registration.

However, as per Pesticide Wing officials, no drives have been conducted to halt post-ban sales.

Farmers across districts also admitted to using carbofuran due to a lack of awareness.

Aminul Islam, a farmer in Munshiganj Sadar, said he sprayed carbofuran in his potato field to prevent insects. "No officials informed us about the ban," said Islam.

Echoing Aminul, Rafiqul Islam, a farmer in Saltha Upazila in Faridpur, said he used carbofuran on the soil while cultivating onion seeds.

Shamsul Karim, Munshiganj district agriculture officer, said they have not received any instruction from the ministry or the plant protection wings to start an awareness campaign against the banned pesticide.

He, however, said he did not have any knowledge of carbofuran being sold in the district.

Contacted, Faridul Hasan, director and member secretary of PTAC, said they sent a letter to district and upazila administrations asking them to take legal action against anyone selling carbofuran.

Regarding awareness campaigns among farmers, he said they require a budget for that.