The Centre has sought the Supreme Court's permission to use the available stock of banned pesticide endosulfan for agricultural purpose on the ground that incinerating it would cost the exchequer Rs 210 crore.

The Agriculture Ministry told this to the apex court in an affidavit.

The ministry also referred to a report of the Combined Expert Committee on Endosulfan, constituted on the apex court's direction .

The committee in it's report had said that 18 states, other than Kerala and Karnataka, favoured use of the banned pesticide as it was cheap.

It also said the pesticide was safe to pollinators without any ill-effects on human beings, animals and environment.