Important Facts For Prelims
Glyphosate
- 04 Nov 2019
- 1 min read
Why in News
A German pharma company is facing thousands of lawsuits over its herbicide products which are based on a compound called glyphosate.
- Herbicide is an agent, usually chemical, for killing or inhibiting the growth of unwanted plants, such as residential or agricultural weeds and invasive species.
Glyphosate
- Scientific Name: It was developed in 1970, and its scientific name is N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine under the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system of nomenclature.
- Application: It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill weeds.
- Usage in India
- It has a very good market size in the tea sector of West Bengal and Assam.
- Presently, its consumption is highest in Maharashtra as it is becoming a key herbicide in sugarcane, maize and many fruit crops.
- Concerns
- In 2015, the Word Health Organization published a study that found glyphosate “probably carcinogenic to humans”. However, no advisory has been issued yet.
- France, Italy, and Vietnam banned its use after the finding.
