A report has raised critical safety issues as more than 500 farmers lost their lives, linked to exposure of unsafe usage of pesticides.

Rajasthan: According to the information provided in response to the legislative assembly question asked by the Congress MLA Amin Kgazi , 535 farmers have died in the state of Rajasthan between January 2024 and January 2026 due to the usage of unsafe pesticides. 

The agriculture department in a written response stated that farmers may fall severely ill and even die in some cases, due to the failure to adopt safety measures during the use of pesticides.

As per the department, district-wise highest toll was recorded in Biakner, with 57 deaths, followed by Churu with 56, Hanumannagar and Jhalwar with 42, Jodhpur with 38, and Shrinagar and Bewar with 31 deaths. The report also claims that  a total of  Rs 5.10 was provided in assistance to the families of deceased farmers under the Chief Minister Farmer Welfare Scheme.

Another troubling set of numbers from the assembly suggested that 189 pesticides failed the standard quality check over the same 2-year period. Following which, 282 notices were issued, 14 court cases  were filed, 14 licences were suspended, while 22 licences were cancelled. 

Pointing at the data released in response to his question, the Congress MLA said, "The deaths and the number of substandard samples reported by the government itself highlight the need for stronger field-level monitoring, farmer training, and enforcement of safety standards. Preventing such incidents should be treated as a priority." 
The report has now flagged major nationwide concerns regarding the quality and usage of the pesticides openly available in the market today.