SAHIWAL: The Government of Punjab has banned the use of 14 pesticides on rice crops citing their prohibition at both the national and international levels.

Divisional plant protection officials of the agriculture department warned that spraying these chemicals during plantation and growth stages damages the crop and poses serious risks to human and animal health.

This was disclosed during awareness seminars organised by the plant protection wing of the agriculture department over the past two days in Sahiwal and Chichawatni. More than 60 registered representatives of pesticides dealers participated in both seminars.

Sahiwal Division Plant Protection Director Zahoor Ahmed delivered the keynote address and engaged in interactive discussions with the participants.

Dealers were briefed on the list of pesticides prohibited for use on rice crops and instructed to guide farmers against spraying them. The officials emphasised that residues from these chemicals were often detected in rice grains, creating major obstacles for exports and undermining the country’s ability to earn valuable foreign exchange.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Zahoor explained that the 14 banned products fall into two categories — insecticides and fungicides. These include:Sahiwal Pesticide Association President Iftikhar Ahmed described the sessions as fruitful and said the information would be shared and conveyed to rice growers.

Participants were also urged to educate growers to purchase pesticides only from registered dealers. Mr Zahoor stressed that no unregistered dealers were operating in the Sahiwal division and assured that none would be allowed to mislead farmers.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2026