India Becomes Vulnerable To Invasive Alien Species

A dysfunctional quarantine system and growing agricultural imports have left India vulnerable to attacks by invasive alien species

- Jitendra

Theirs is possibly the most unnoticeable of all invasions. When pests, weeds, viruses, and bacteria invade, they can wipe out food crops, alter the ecology, deplete water levels and cause diseases. In the past 15 years, India has faced at least 10 major invasive pest and weed attacks. The most recent was the fall armyworm that destroyed almost the entire maize crop in the country in 2018. India had to import maize in 2019 due to the damage caused by the pest in 2018 (see ‘The invader’, Down To Earth, 1-15 March 2019).

Invasive pests and weeds can enter a country by flying over the border or by simply growing gratuitously. In such cases, checking their entry is difficult. But when they land up at airports and dockyards in cargos of imported grain or with items carried by tourists, the authorities should be able to weed them out. For this reason, countries have animal, plant, and health quarantine facilities at all transborder entry points. India, however, seems to have let its guard down of late, especially with regards to agricultural products, which form the bulk of its imports.