In UP, Orchard Workers feel the Sting of Chemicals as Climate Change Spurs Pest Outbreaks

By Sumaiya Ali

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh: “If it’s not burning our face, how will it kill the pests?”

This is how Shujaur Rehman (55)  a daily-wage labourer in Shahjahanpur near Meerut district, rationalises the burning sensation he feels while spraying pesticides in mango orchards. 

In this mango belt of western Uttar Pradesh, such discomfort has become routine and is seen as a sign that the chemical is doing its job.

Ikram Uddin (70), who is a watch guard at a mango orchard, said, “When you spray pesticide, it feels like ants are biting your face. It’s a chemical strong enough to kill pests, of course, it will affect humans too.”

This year, daily-wage labourers involved in mango cultivation told 101Reporters that they sprayed pesticides more oftenand suffered more because of it. 

Those who handled the chemicals reported symptoms such as burning skin, fever, cold, and even deteriorating eyesight.

Orchards must now be sprayed and treated almost twice as often as before, according to farmers. Erratic weather has altered the pest cycle, causing infestations to arrive earlier and last longer. 

The southwest monsoon typically covers the entire country by July 8, according to the India Meteorological Department. But in recent years, it has been arriving earlier: on July 2 from 2022 to 2024, and on June 29 in 2025. 

This shift is unsettling the delicate climate balance mangoes depend on. The fruit needs dry summer heat to ripen, yet May, once a hot and dry month, has increasingly brought unseasonal rain.

In May 2025, Uttar Pradesh recorded 126.7 mm of rainfall, the highest for the month since 1901. The IMD reported six western disturbances, an unusually high number for what should be the dry pre-monsoon period. “In the last couple of years, we’ve observed stronger western disturbances during spring, from March to April,” said Akshay Deoras, a research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading. “They’re bringing more cloud cover, rainfall, and even thunderstorms, which means the typical summer heat has been missing.”

These disturbances are steered by shifting jet streams, fast-moving air currents in the upper atmosphere. “Western disturbances are like tiny ships, and the jet stream is the current that carries them,” Deoras explained. “That shift is bringing more storms and less summer heat, a change that seems to be linked to climate change.”

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The altered weather patterns are also making mango orchards more vulnerable to pests. “Mangoes ripen in dry weather, and by the time the monsoon arrives, most are harvested,” said T Damodaran, Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. “However, the early rains this year increased fruit fly incidents for mango farmers.”

Fruit flies cause extensive damage to mango crops across the country. A recent study in Saharanpur, Lucknow, and Meerut found significant fluctuations in their quantity and diversity, with infestations peaking during the post-monsoon season. 

This year, the early arrival of rains triggered fresh leaf growth in the middle of the ripening season, drawing pests like thrips and fruit flies earlier than expected.

Thrips, which usually appear after the monsoon when new leaves sprout, emerged in the middle of the ripening period, experts explained. 

May’s early rains, coupled with high temperatures, created the humidity that also allowed a new threat, the semi-looper larvae, to thrive.

“Until now, we hadn’t seen them at all. But in recent years, they’ve caused huge havoc in the Uttar Pradesh region,” Damodaran said. 

Because the pest is new, the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee has not issued any approved pesticide labels for it. 

“Normally, pesticide prescriptions specify application rates for known pests. Because semi-loopers are new, no established protocols exist. So farmers began trying various pesticides. In one case, a farmer applied pesticides five times, but they had no effect.”

Damodaran said for farmers, the new timing of rains has meant confronting pest infestations they were unprepared for.

Only sprays, no safeguards

On a hot June morning in Shahjahanpur, Rehman and another labourer, Satish Kumar, prepared for a long day in one of the region’s many orchards, which stretch across 40 acres and grow mango varieties like Dussehri, Chausa and Gulab Jamun.

The dense canopy of fruit-laden trees offered some relief from the sun, but not from the chemicals. Each spray cycle in this orchard uses six to seven litres of pesticide.

According to Qadir and Nazim Khan, who manage nearby orchards, five years ago, seven spray rounds were enough.Now, orchards require twelve or more,  mostly between May and September, nearly doubling annual pesticide use from about 40 litres to over 70. This season, even after spraying fifteen times, the pests did not go away, Khan said. 

On this particular day, Khan stood beside a spraying tanker, checking the pesticide mixture before climbing into the driver’s seat. As the engine started, pipes held by Rehman and Kumar filled with chemicals. Without gloves, masks, or protective gear, they began spraying the trees. Pesticide fumes drifted in the air, clinging to their clothes and skin.

“Ideally, the person handling pesticides should wear a mask and cover their head,” said Qadir, who supervises the spraying alongside Khan. He once provided masks to his workers, but they refused to wear them. “Labourers prefer using a cotton cloth, if anything. I ended up throwing the masks away.”

Qadir, who has grown up around mango farming, is familiar with the risks. Over the years, he has seen his workers develop colds, itchy skin, and burning sensations after spraying. “The heat makes masks unbearable. Most just want to finish quickly.”

Rehman echoed this. “Once I go home, I take a bath,” he said, resting after a round of spraying. “A proper mask makes it hard to breathe in this heat. A cloth is easier.”

Only risk, no reward

The added risk comes with little reward. Mango pickers earn about Rs 500 a day, while pesticide sprayers get just Rs 100 more. “This year, workers refused to spray unless we paid Rs 600,” said Qadir. “We had no choice but to agree.”

Mohammad Aslam (34) who works in Qadir’s orchard, said he sprayed pesticides for seven days this season compared to four last year. “We do it the whole day, with short breaks,” he said. “At the end, I wash up and lie down for a bit.” Like many others, he is used to the side effects like cough, cold, and skin irritation.

Some workers have suffered more severe consequences. “I’ve faced the worst of it,” said Mohammad Ashraf (24). “Once, I didn’t cover my face properly. Half an hour later, my face felt like it was on fire.” He tried oil, ghee, and cold water, but nothing worked. “I kept dipping my face in ice water. It turned blood red. I had to skip work the next day.” Ashraf now refuses to spray. “I do everything else, but not pesticides.”

Qadir said it is common for sprayers to take leave the next day. “Fever, cough, and burning skin are common, and they come back only after they have recovered,” he said. When labour is short, he steps in himself.

Rehman, another grower, said many new workers quit within weeks. With rashes and burning skin, they do not last long, he added.

Mujahid Khan (40) had been spraying pesticides for more than six years before quitting four years ago when his vision began to blur. “Cold and burning, I could manage. But what’s the use if I can’t see?” he said. 

He recalled one particularly bad day: “I came home burning all over. I bathed twice with salt water, scrubbed with soap, applied coconut oil, but nothing seemed to work.” 

He eventually sought treatment and now works at a nursery with minimal chemical exposure.

His younger brother, Masheer, stopped spraying after developing eye problems last year. “He nearly lost his eyesight,” said Mujahid. “We caught it in time.” Masheer has returned to orchard work but avoids pesticides completely.

According to Damodaran, poor awareness about pesticide safety worsens the risks. He recommends sustainable alternatives like fruit bagging and fly traps. “Fruit bagging is safer and more effective in the long run,” he said, warning that long-term exposure to pesticides is contributing to serious health issues in mango-growing regions like Shahjahanpur and Malihabad.

Dr Prashant Rajput, a doctor-turned-farmer in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, said many farmers visit him for health problems they believe are linked to chemical use in agriculture. “These days, we see eight to ten such patients daily,” he said. Many suffer from kidney and lung diseases, as well as eye problems. Rajput noted that synthetic pyrethroids, a common pesticide ingredient, can cause eye damage and even vision loss. 

Only natural, no chemical

Rajput, who practises regenerative farming, said the use of chemicals in agriculture can be significantly reduced by improving soil health. He has held workshops for over 40,000 farmers across India to promote organic methods.

On his mango farm, Rajput uses biological agents such as Beauveria, Metarhizium and Verticillium during the monsoon to control pests. These endopathogenic fungi help reduce pest pressure and limit the need for chemical pesticides.

He said that integrated pest management begins after the harvest, not during a pest attack. “The inter-harvest period is when plant and soil management are crucial. Most pathogens thrive when there is no diversity,” he said.

During the monsoon, Rajput plants cover crops to attract a wider range of insects, introducing beneficial fungi to control harmful species.

“It cuts down the pathogens and increases the beneficials. So in layman's terms, this reduces the use of pesticides,” he said. [101Reporters/VS]

This article is republished from 101 Reporters under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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