The Agriculture Ministry's reluctance to move on a proposed ban on two hazardous farm chemicals, paraquat and chlorpyrifos, which was to take effect in 2019, is disappointing.
Suwit Chaikiattiyos, director-general of the Department of Agriculture, earlier this week said the time frame of the proposed ban is unrealistic, as the authorities still "lack enough information on the health impacts".
The ban was initiated by the Health Ministry which earlier this year formed a joint committee on the control of farm chemical use. The Agriculture Ministry also sits on the committee, together with the Industry and the National Resources and the Environment ministries.
Under the time frame, the Agriculture Ministry, through the Department of Agriculture, will suspend registration of import licence renewal for the chemicals. The licences run out next month.
Mr Suwit's latest stance makes it unclear if the department will still go ahead with the registration. If that is the case, the ban may not be possible by the proposed time frame.
The director-general merely said he would throw the issue back to the joint panel on hazardous chemicals, saying: "We are not experts on health issues," in the hope that the panel, which is chaired by his department, would make it clear if the chemicals are really dangerous.
His stance triggered an outcry from health activists who have interpreted it as foot-dragging. They said the department has the power to ban the chemicals right away. Paraquat is one of the so-called dirty dozen which has been banned by some 50 countries around the world due to its impact on health and the environment. It is popular in Thailand under the trade name of Gramoxone.
According to 2016 figures, Thailand imported 31.5 million kilogrammes of paraquat, and 2.1 million kg of chlorpyrifos, along with 61.8 million kg of glyphosate, another toxic chemical that has been banned by some 40 countries including Vietnam and China.
The activists cast suspicion on the role of Mr Suwit's joint panel on the matter given two panel members represent the farm chemical industry. Their suspicion is valid as the move to ban two other highly toxic farm chemicals, methomyl and carbofuran, which was finalised some four years ago, has yet to be endorsed by the panel. In effect, imports of methomyl and carbofuran are only suspended, without an official ban.
The department also gave a lukewarm reaction to calls that the use of glyphosate, another dangerous chemical banned in 40 countries, be stringently regulated.
It must be closely monitored and controlled, with strict zoning and a ban on its use in certain areas like watersheds and areas near water sources. But a lack of practical control measures should cause worry that regulating this particular chemical, which is an over-the-counter product, has a long way to go.
Mr Suwit's reluctance to endorse the ban time frame is not a surprise. His agency, as well as the Agriculture Ministry, is usually clumsy in tackling the farm chemical issue. The proposed ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos has been put forward by the Health Ministry, which has realised the danger of the chemicals, based on reports by doctors on the ground who found the link between illnesses of farmers who sought treatment at hospital, with heavy use of farm chemicals.
Such a stance explains why organic farming in this country is expanding at a slow pace. The current expansion of such environmentally friendlier modes of farming is being driven mostly by the people's sector while the state maintains close connections with chemical giants.
This explains why some farmers in the conventional farming sector still depend on expensive farm chemicals, which not only put their health at risk, but also leave them in a debt trap.
