Thiruvananthapuram, May 23 (IANS) The Kerala government Monday decided that all stocks of pesticide endosulfan will be seized in the state, Agriculture Minister K.P. Mohanan said.

 
 "In the first cabinet meeting of this government last Wednesday, the decision was taken and I have instructed all officials to ensure that this direction is followed in letter and spirit," said Mohanan. 
 
 He said endosulfan stocks with the state-owned Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) will also be seized.
 
 "Seizure of the product alone won't solve the issue. We have to see how carefully we can destroy the seized product," said the minister.
 
 Since 1995, about 500 deaths in 11 villages of Kasargode district have been officially acknowledged due to the use of endosulfan on the estates of PCK in Kasargode district.
 
 Unofficial estimates put the deaths since the late 1970s at around 4,000. 
 
 The state cabinet also approved the setting up of a state of the art Agriculture Research and Training Institute near Kannur.