The use and manufacture of endosulfan pesticide (banned by court since May last year) may be permitted for two years to exhaust all stocks of the raw material, the Joint Expert Committee informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday. In its report submitted before a Bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B. Lokur, the committee said: “India is a signatory to the Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions and is committed to discontinuing use of endosulfan over the next five years. All countries which have banned endosulfan have a phase-out plan for its use in agriculture over two to six years. Such a plan has ensured that all stocks available in the country are utilised and exhausted completely within a desirable time frame.” The committee said the Ministry of Agriculture informed it that in India, if no further import of the raw material was allowed, the existing stocks should be depleted within two years of manufacture. The manufacturing and marketing companies should be asked to ensure that the available raw material was completely used during this period and that this pesticide was fully utilised in accordance with the label claim and good agricultural practices for pest control. Justifying the use of endosulfan, the committee said many other pesticides which were used also showed somewhat similar health/biological effects. “Therefore, phasing out endosulfan appears to be the most viable plan.” The committee, which was appointed by the court during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Democratic Youth Federation of India, felt that appropriate use of pesticides, in consonance with good agricultural practices, was essential to ensure adequate production and availability of agricultural commodities for food security. Considering the benefits and potential risks, it was felt that continued use of pesticides was desirable for India. The panel said it was not feasible to destroy the large quantities of raw materials with the manufacturers and the pesticide formulations lying with various agencies. “Disposal of the existing stocks of endosulfan in existing incinerators may take a long duration due to the limited capacity and the cost of disposal would also be prohibitive, as per the Dr. Gajbhiye Committee report. The same has been corroborated by the Central Pollution Control Board, which estimated at Rs. 1,189 crore the cost of incineration, besides the requirement of several years of dedicated operations.”