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Governor warns of ‘explosion of cancer’ by usage of urea, cites UN figures

Spotlight on usage of urea, DAP and pesticides in farming.

3 min readUpdated: Nov 7, 2025 08:23 PM IST

Acharya said natural farming can restore soil health, boost yields, and prevent environmental harm.

Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat linked rising cancer cases to chemical farming, urging farmers to stop using urea and DAP.

Stating that the use of chemical fertilisers had reduced the organic carbon (OC) of lands and caused an alarming increase in cancer in the state, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Friday warned against the usage of urea, DAP and pesticides in farming.

Speaking at a symposium on natural farming in Wankaner village of Savli taluka of Vadodara district, Devvrat cited statistics of the increasing number of cancer cases in the state. As the President of the Gujarat State Cancer Society, Devvrat said the state was recording 790 new cancer patients every day. “In 2020, there were 70000 cancer patients in Gujarat, which has now increased to 1.5 lakhs with new patients being added every year. The number has doubled in a period of five years… In the last one year alone, 2.88 lakh cancer patients have been treated under the PM Jan Ayushman Yojana,” Devvrat said, urging farmers to give up producing carcinogenic products such as tobacco and also quoted UN figures stating that within a decade, an “explosion of cancer” would occur in India if chemical farming continued unabated.

The governor also warned against the usage of urea and DAP, which destroy microorganisms, earthworms and other insects that enhance the soil quality and are “friends of farmers”. Devvrat said, “Chemical pesticides are toxic and can even kill snakes; how will soil friendly microorganisms survive… Chemical farming has decreased the soil yield by 10% worldwide… In Gujarat, the OC of land has come down to below 0.5 in fields adopting chemical farming. As a cycle, in order to get more produce from such lands, farmers increase the amount of urea, DAP and other chemicals every year…”

The Governor said by adopting natural farming, the OC of soil can be increased to above 1 and increase the yield. “There is a common misconception that natural farming reduces production… On the contrary, it increases production. Natural farmers also suffer less damage during unseasonal rains as the microorganisms increase the water absorbing capacity of soil…”

The Governor also urged farmers to refrain from spraying DAP and urea in their fields as the nitrogen present in the chemicals comes in contact with oxygen in the atmosphere and causes nitrous oxide that contributes to environmental disasters and pollution.

Aditi Raja

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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