CHANDIGARH: Amid rising cancer cases in Himachal Pradesh, environmentalists have urged the state government to ban and phase out the most lethal Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), particularly those with no known antidotes or high persistence in ecosystems, and synchronise the phase-out with the state's flagship Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y).
A growing concern has emerged over the alleged link between the excessive use of pesticides, fertilisers and chemicals in horticulture and agriculture and the increasing incidence of cancer across Himachal Pradesh, particularly in the fruit and vegetable-growing belts of Kullu, Kangra, Lahaul and Spiti, Shimla and Solan.
Environmentalists claim that chemically ripened fruits and pesticide-laden vegetables are significant contributors, compounded by deteriorating air, water and soil quality.
More than 10,000 cancer-related deaths have reportedly been recorded in the state over the past eight years, while around 1,500 new cases are detected annually.
Environmentalists claim that Himachal Pradesh now has the second-highest cancer prevalence in India, after the Northeast, relative to its population.
Himachal Pradesh, regarded as one of India's most intensively farmed hill states and widely known as the country's fruit bowl, is home to extensive apple and other fruit orchards in Shimla and Kullu, pea fields in Lahaul, vegetable farms in Solan and tea gardens in Kangra.
Environmentalists allege that beneath this agricultural success lies a serious and largely unaddressed public health crisis.
Environmentalist Guman Singh, coordinator of Himalaya NITI Abhiyan, said the state's intensive, high-value horticulture sector has developed an unregulated dependence on HHPs.
According to him, the cultivation of cash crops such as apples and off-season vegetables, along with the use of herbicides to clear common and forest land for monsoon pea cultivation, has driven extensive pesticide use.
He claimed that apple farmers across Shimla and Kullu had informed them, and there were reports, that chemical sprays were being applied a dozen or more times during a single growing season. As a result, he alleged, occupational exposure to these chemicals across the state's agricultural landscape is exceptionally high.
“Epidemiological studies from Kullu and Shimla reveal the quiet suffering that has been normalised as the price of cultivation. A vast majority of farmers endure extreme fatigue, severe eye irritation, dermal lesions and acute systemic toxicity as routine post-spray realities of these HHPs,” he alleged.
“In the State Assembly, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had publicly attributed this alarming surge to the excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. The medical fraternity has echoed the concern. Leading oncologists in Himachal Pradesh have publicly called for a regulatory law, and agricultural pesticides pose a grave concern to public health in the state. IGMC and Himachal Pradesh University are now conducting joint research to quantify the extent of this contamination,” said Singh.
He noted that the toxicity of HHPs is so severe that they cannot be used safely under real-world farming conditions, a reality he said is borne out daily in Himachal Pradesh's fields. The only scientifically and medically ethical intervention, he argued, is a strict state-led ban and phase-out of the most lethal HHPs.
“Banning these priority HHPs will not compromise the agricultural output of the state; rather, it will protect the workforce that generates it. As demonstrated globally and in other Indian states, removing HHPs from circulation causes substantial and sustained reductions in poisoning fatalities without harming crop yields. By replacing these chemicals with resilient horticulture, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the state's natural farming initiatives, Himachal Pradesh can secure both farmer livelihoods and ecological health,” said Satya Sainath, an agricultural researcher.
Both Singh and Sainath said regulatory action against HHPs must be accompanied by comprehensive agronomic support to ensure farmers are not left vulnerable.
According to them, banning toxic chemicals alone is only half the solution, while providing viable and profitable alternatives is equally important. To achieve this, the state must implement a structured transition pathway and promote horticultural diversification by incentivising the cultivation of high-value crops that inherently require fewer agrochemicals.
They suggested that suitable regions should gradually transition towards crops such as walnut, pecan, persimmon, kiwi, pear, plum, cherry and mango, which would reduce the state's pesticide footprint while maintaining farm incomes.
“The state agricultural universities should be directed to accelerate research and development into pest-resistant, climate-resilient crop varieties tailored specifically to the state's unique microclimates. The government should also actively promote and subsidise Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Weed Management (IWM). Replacing blanket chemical spraying with biological controls, mechanical weeders and ecological pest management must become the baseline standard for Himachal Pradesh's extension services."
"The HHP phase-out should also be synchronised with the state's flagship Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y). Removing HHPs from the ecosystem is not a standalone regulatory hurdle; it is a vital stepping stone towards achieving Himachal's vision of becoming a 100 per cent natural, ecologically sound and sustainable farming state,” they added.
Singh added, “Himachal now records the second-highest cancer incidence in India, with a mortality rate of 9.5 per cent compared with the national average of 7.7 per cent. More alarming than the numbers themselves is their trajectory. The annual growth rate of cancer cases in Himachal has reached 2.2 per cent, far outpacing the national rate of 0.6 per cent.”
A 2024 study by the Himalayan Organisation for Organic Agri Product and Research Development stated that 80 to 90 per cent of farmers and apple growers in the state were not applying pesticides scientifically. Instead, many allegedly purchased and used pesticides recommended by shopkeepers without proper guidance or consideration of their effectiveness.
The study identified this indiscriminate use of chemicals as a major factor contributing to the rise in cancer cases and other serious health issues.
Data from six medical colleges across the state show that more than 32,909 cancer cases have been detected. Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra, accounted for 19,135 cases, the highest in the state, followed by Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, and Dr YS Parmar Medical College, Nahan, with 11,343 and 1,471 cases respectively.
Cancer incidence in the state has steadily increased from 8,978 cases in 2021 to 9,566 in 2024. According to the data cited, this represents a sharp rise in the overall cancer burden recorded over the past decade.