The conference of parties at the Stockholm Convention on Friday approved the draft proposal for elimination of production and use of endosulfan and its isomers worldwide, subject to certain exemptions. The decision will not be binding on India unless specifically ratified by the country.However, the Indian delegation to the Convention has concurred with the proposal after its concerns regarding exemptions and financial assistance were addressed.
The Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee to the Convention will work with parties and observers to come up with alternatives to endosulfan. The convention will also provide financial assistance to developing countries to replace endosulfan with alternatives. The actual decision of the Convention is to list endosulfan and its related isomers in Part I Annex A to the Convention with specific exemptions for production as allowed in the Register of Specific Exemptions and/or use on crop-pest complexes as listed.
Exemptions will apply to 22 crops — cotton, jute, coffee, tea, tobacco, cow peas, beans, tomato, okra, eggplant, onion, potato, chillies, apple, mango, gram, arhar dal (pigeon pea), maize, paddy, wheat, groundnuts and mustard.
The conference took the decision after considering the risk profile and risk management evaluation for endosulfan done by a review committee.