Latest news with #Fertilisers
Daily Maverick
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Call for urgent SA pesticide action plan to protect farm workers — and consumers
NGOs report limited resources for consumer education and pesticide testing, which they believe hinders effective enforcement of pesticide limits. They also perceive a governmental reluctance to implement significant changes. The African Centre for Biodiversity (Acbio) released a compilation of the past two decades of research on pesticide use in South Africa on 21 July 2025, in the form of a searchable and downloadable database. The centre hopes this will help with advocacy for policy change and the banning of certain pesticides. The aim is to help 'collective efforts to push the government to prioritise the urgent complete overhaul of the regulatory framework governing the use of pesticides, ensuring its rigorous implementation and heeding the persistent calls for the banning of the most hazardous chemicals and the phase-out of others'. Executive director of the African Centre for Biodiversity Mariam Mayet said it probably took about six researchers four to five months to complete the database, along with computer science specialists and assistance from artificial intelligence. In an interview with Daily Maverick, Mayet said, 'The first thing we had to do was to find all the research papers over a period of two decades. We decided to look at what happened over 20 years. And that took a long time, because we had to find, firstly, all the peer review journal articles, then any other research reports and documents that were put together by researchers and civil society over the last 20 years'. Mayet said they interviewed the researchers to understand what impact the papers had and if the government responded to the findings, although some were in intergovernmental discussions. Mayet pointed out that the government was hard to pin down for engagement on agro-toxins. 'We had to go and interview a lot of these researchers who had participated in intergovernmental bodies to find out the extent to which they … made submissions that may not have been in the public domain… But then also, we did follow-ups with every researcher or institution to find out from them what happened after they published the research. 'Did they bring this to the attention of the government? What were the steps that the government took, if at all? Because the one frustration we've been having for the last 20 years or more is just complete intransigence on the part of the state. 'You know, Act 36 was passed at the time when King George VI was the head of state of South Africa … [nearly] 80 years ago,' Mayet said. The Act she is referring to is the Act 36 of 1947, known as the Fertilisers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act, which regulates the registration and sale of fertilisers, farm feeds, agricultural remedies and stock remedies. Its key provisions include registration, regulation and appointment of officials. Mayet is part of a large group of activists who have been calling for the laws to be updated and for other measures to be implemented to protect vulnerable groups such as farmworkers from exposure, which can lead to illnesses ranging from skin irritation and respiratory illnesses, and have been linked to cancer. Mayet says that the long-term risk to all South African citizens who are not in the agricultural space is exposure through food that has pesticides, and from water sources. This alarm has been sounded for more than two decades and is part of the reason why Acbio created the database. 'They also made a 2010 policy where they outlined the objective of the government to phase out 116 highly hazardous pesticides and reform the legislation. Nothing happened after that, and nothing happens no matter how much you knock at the door of the registrar. 'So, the frustration on the part of the researchers also had to be captured and recorded, and to illustrate the extent of the research actually published in the country and to put it all in one place and then to categorise it accordingly so that people could easily research it and then also provide a list of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) that are still in use in South Africa and banned in the EU,' Mayet said. '…it's just a resource that we put in the public domain that we hope to be a living document. We also email the compendium to every researcher to ask them if they have any other research in the offing that they would like to bring to our attention so that we may upload it. We would like this to be a living document,' Mayet said. Acbio recommended that SA urgently needed to develop a comprehensive pesticide action plan, which should 'be aligned with international best practices, phase out or ban the most hazardous pesticides and outline a clear roadmap for supporting farmers to transition out of industrial chemical-based food, fibre, and crop production systems to systems that are grounded in agroecological principles, social justice, equity and job creation.' Terbufos In June, the South African government officially banned the importation and use of Terbufos, commonly known as Halephirimi. This came after children died from food poisoning in Soweto last year. These deaths were linked to food contaminated with the toxic pesticide, classified as an organophosphate. This came after an investigation by the inter-ministerial committee on food-borne illnesses, which focused on the dangers of organophosphate pesticides. This unfortunate incident brought the dangers of pesticides to the public's attention. Mayet said this showed the significance of activism and consumer knowledge. 'I think that the Terbufos case was the one case that put the issue of pesticides on the national agenda for the first time, and I think that it only did that because a lot of us made such a big issue of it. 'You would remember that the initial responses were very much to blame spaza shops, to underplay it, not to blame it on pesticides, but on food contamination. 'It's because we made a huge big issue of the fact that it was a harmful chemical, an HHP, a 1A highly toxic chemical, and that we also had a pesticide tribunal, people's tribunal; we had judges giving evidence to the portfolio committee,' said Mayet. Funding Although Mayet acknowledges the steps taken so far to educate people on food safety after the death of children in Soweto, she says education on the extent of pesticide exposure people face daily is lacking. Organisations such as Acbio do some of that work, but she says funding is limited, therefore limiting advocacy efforts on both consumer education and policy lobbying. 'I do believe that there's very little public awareness of the extent to which, first, that there are pesticides in the food that we're consuming, and that there's no testing by the government of food that South Africans are consuming.' The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Acbio and Women on Farms have an upcoming documentary after testing food products they bought from a supermarket in South Africa for pesticides. 'They all exceeded the maximum residue level[s] set by our government. So, our food is laden with agrochemicals. The public has no idea.' Mayet says the solution is a massive consumer campaign, campaigning for the labelling of foods, and forcing the government to test and inform the public on what pesticides are in foods. 'It does beg for a consumer campaign, but we don't have strong consumer civil society groups in the country ready to take up this issue. So, we can't do it because we're too small, and we don't have enough resources. It's a time of tightening of belts, and a lot of European donors are cutting back.' In a written response to Daily Maverick, the Department of Agriculture said it participated in several multi-stakeholder forums that dealt with the broader issues of chemical management. The department noted that 'the structures that are in place are not sufficient to deal with challenges of unsafe use of pesticides in the country'. Asked what it took to ban a pesticide, the department said: 'The department's mandate is to ensure that farmers and the public have access to effective and safe pesticides. The ban is only considered when there is evidence that the risk associated with the pesticide is not manageable. Thus, the department will institute the ban when there is evidence that the costs of using the particular pesticides far exceed the benefits.' DM
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Business Standard
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Govt imports nearly 1 million tonnes of DAP in Apr-Jun, shows Govt data
India has imported 974,000 tonnes of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) during the April-June quarter to meet domestic demand, the government said on Tuesday. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel shared the data of DAP imports for the current year, as reported by the companies. As per the data, India imported 289,000 tonnes of DAP in April, 236,000 tonnes in May and 449,000 tonnes in June. Imports of DAP, a key fertiliser, stood at 456,900 tonnes in 2024-25 fiscal, 556,700 tonnes in 2023-24, 658,300 tonnes in 2022-23, 546,200 tonnes in 2021-22, and 488,200 tonnes during 2020-21. "The government is ensuring adequate availability of fertilizers to meet the Kharif 2025 requirement for chemical fertilizers during the 2025 Kharif season (is) marginally higher than that of the previous year, owing to expanded sowing coverage and favourable monsoon conditions," Patel said. From April 2010, the Centre has implemented Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) policy for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers. Under this, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on an annual/bi-annual basis, is provided on notified P&K fertilisers depending on their nutrient content. The P&K fertilisers are covered under Open General License (OGL), and companies are free to import these fertilisers as per their business dynamics. "The gap between demand (requirement) and production of fertilizers is met through imports. Further, to minimize the impact of supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical factors, the fertilizer companies have entered in long term arrangements with DAP-producing nations to ensure continuous supplies," Patel said. Imports of urea stood at 564,700 tonnes in 2024-25, 704,200 tonnes in 2023-24, 758,000 tonnes during 2022-23, 913,600 tonnes in 2021-22, and 982,800 tonnes in 2020-2.
Economic Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
India imports nearly 10 lakh tonnes of DAP in Apr-Jun to meet local demand: Govt data
India has imported 9.74 lakh tonnes of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) during the April-June quarter to meet domestic demand, the government said on Tuesday. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel shared the data of DAP imports for the current year, as reported by the companies. As per the data, India imported 2.89 lakh tonnes of DAP in April, 2.36 lakh tonnes in May and 4.49 lakh tonnes in June. Imports of DAP, a key fertiliser, stood at 45.69 lakh tonnes in 2024-25 fiscal, 55.67 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, 65.83 lakh tonnes in 2022-23, 54.62 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, and 48.82 lakh tonnes during 2020-21. "The government is ensuring adequate availability of fertilizers to meet the Kharif 2025 requirement for chemical fertilizers during the 2025 Kharif season (is) marginally higher than that of the previous year, owing to expanded sowing coverage and favourable monsoon conditions," Patel said. From April 2010, the Centre has implemented Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) policy for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers. Under this, a fixed amount of subsidy, decided on an annual/bi-annual basis, is provided on notified P&K fertilisers depending on their nutrient content. The P&K fertilisers are covered under Open General License (OGL), and companies are free to import these fertilisers as per their business dynamics. "The gap between demand (requirement) and production of fertilizers is met through imports. Further, to minimize the impact of supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical factors, the fertilizer companies have entered in long term arrangements with DAP-producing nations to ensure continuous supplies," Patel said. Imports of urea stood at 56.47 lakh tonnes in 2024-25, 70.42 lakh tonnes in 2023-24, 75.80 lakh tonnes during 2022-23, 91.36 lakh tonnes in 2021-22, and 98.28 lakh tonnes in 2020-2. PTI
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Business Standard
22-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
DCM Shriram stock falls 2% after Q1 results; check key numbers here
DCM Shriram share price today: Shares of leading Chlor Alkali manufacturer DCM Shriram fell over 2 per cent to hit an intraday low of ₹1,357 on the NSE after the company posted its June quarter numbers for fiscal 2025-26 (Q1FY26). At 10:25 AM, DCM Shriram stock was trading at ₹1,372.5, down 1.16 per cent from its previous day's close of ₹1,388.6 on the NSE. In comparison, the NSE Nifty50 index was up 29.85 points or 0.12 per cent at 25,115.4 levels. The company's total market capitalisation stood at ₹21,240.9 crore. The stock has fallen over 5.8 per cent from its 52-week high of ₹1,473.9 touched on July 3, 2025. DCM Shriram Q1FY26 results In the quarter ended June 30, 2025, DCM Shriram reported consolidated profit after tax (PAT) of ₹113.8 crore, up 13 per cent from ₹100.3 crore in the year-ago period. The company's revenue from operations stood at ₹3,455.2 crore, up 12.4 per cent compared to ₹3,073 crore in Q1FY25. Its profit before depreciation, interest and tax (PBDIT) also rose 19 per cent to ₹325.7 crore in the reported quarter compared to ₹273.7 crore in the year-ago quarter. The company's revenue from the Chemicals and Vinyl segment increased 32 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to ₹1,114 crore compared to ₹842 crore in the June 2025 quarter. Revenue from the fertiliser business also grew 19 per cent Y-o-Y to ₹390 crore. However, the Sugar and Ethanol unit witnessed a decline of 14 per cent to ₹824 crore. According to the exchange filing, DCM Shriram's net debt stood at ₹1,481 crore at the end of the June 2025 quarter, up 1.5 per cent from ₹1,459 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. Check List of Q1 results today About DCM Shriram Established in 1989, DCM Shriram is a diversified company with business in agri, chemicals, plastics, cement, textiles and energy services. The company's business portfolio comprises Chloro-Vinyl, Sugar, Shriram Farm Solutions, Bioseed, Fertilisers, Fenesta Building Systems and others. It operates manufacturing facilities in Kota in Rajasthan, Bharuch in Gujarat, and Ajbapur, Rupapur, Hariawan and Loni in Uttar Pradesh. The hybrid seed operations are based in Bhiwadi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. The window fabrication units are located in Bhiwadi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.
