Exposure to fertilisers, pesticides will affect next generation's ability to reproduce: Gujarat Governor
Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Monday said a recent study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has warned that exposure to chemical fertilisers and pesticides will affect the next generation's ability to reproduce. Addressing a gathering of vice-chancellors and academicians at Raj Bhavan as part of the 'Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Voice of Youth' event, Devvrat urged the guests to spread awareness among the youth about the benefits of natural farming techniques to overcome side-effects of chemicals.
Notably, the governor has been running a state-wide campaign to spread awareness about the benefits of natural farming and he claimed that nearly 9 lakh farmers have adopted natural farming in Gujarat in the last four years.
Devvrat said that Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya met him 10 days ago and urged him to «convince farmers to stop the use of urea poison».
«A report has arrived recently. Doctors from AIIMS researched people living in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, where urea, DAP and pesticides are widely used.
The study revealed that the coming generations of these areas will not be able to bear children,» the governor said.
This is in addition to other health hazards such as cancer and heart attacks, he said.
«These chemicals are changing our DNA.
Mansukh Mandaviya told me that such a report has come,» he said, urging the academicians to spread awareness about the issue.
He further said that nearly nine lakh farmers in Gujarat have already stopped using chemicals and adopted natural farming, which is different from organic farming and does not harm the environment.
The governor said nearly 4,000 women farmers were roped in
