Lack of awareness hampering judicious use of pesticides, say experts

Lack of awareness and training among farmers has hampered proper use of pesticides in the country and also prevented farmers from getting desired results in their produce. Experts further point out that non-judicious use of pesticides could further result in health hazards and environmental pollution.
According to the Plant Protection Wing under the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the consumption of pesticides in the country came down to 39,253.22 tonnes in 2014 against 41,607.70 tonnes in 2013.
Deputy Director of Plant Protection Wing Fazlul Karim Sani said that the reason behind the decrease in the consumption of pesticides is on account of increased awareness, use of bio-pesticides and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
“We will witness a gradual decrease in the consumption of pesticides. At present, 11 companies are supplying bio-pesticides which are environment-friendly and are not injurious to health,” he added.
According to the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA), a representative of 200 pesticide companies in the country, there are some 400 companies that are involved in the import and marketing of about 37,000 tonnes of pesticides annually. The BCPA claims to have imparted training to about 80,000 of the roughly 1.51 crore farmers across the country since 1993. According to BPCA sources, the figure is still nominal and there is need for more training and awareness programmes to ensure the judicious use of pesticides by farmers.
BCPA sources further point out that the loss of crops due to pests is around 30-40 per cent, which is equivalent to the food consumed in the country in three or four months.
According to the DAE, the loss of rice produce on account of pest attacks is around 16 per cent, while that of vegetables is 25 per cent. The outbreak of new insects and diseases is also increasing due to the impact of climate change, it added.
“The companies are importing and marketing the pesticides which are not harmful for human health and environment. But we need judicious use of pesticides,” said A H M Sadrul Alam, Vice-Chairman of the BCPA.
“There is lack of training and awareness among the farmers over the application of pesticides. There is still a gap here,” he added.
Alam, who is also the proprietor of Aungkur Traders, further pointed to the need for monitoring unethical people who are involved in dealing with sub-standard pesticides.
“Besides, there are some unregistered smuggled products that enter our country through the border areas. These pesticides are a threat to us,” he said.
According to Alam, the situation in terms of pesticide application has seen some improvement. He further claims that the country would be unable to achieve self-sufficiency in food without the use of pesticides. “However, it should be used in a judicious way to avoid health hazards and environmental pollution,” he observed.
According to the 2014 annual report of the BCPA, the sales of granular insecticides decreased by 12.66 per cent as compared to the previous year due to the introduction of new environment-friendly molecules which require low dosage.
Sales of liquid and power insecticides, on the other hand, increased by 3.69 per cent and 9.02 per cent respectively in 2014 due to the sporadic outbreak of Brown Plant Hopper, Leaf Roller, Caseworm, Gallmidge etc. in rice, cutworm in potato, sucking pests in vegetables and Helopeltis in tea.
In addition, sales of fungicides (general) in 2014 increased by 1.62 per cent, while sale of Sulphur saw a dip of 7.19 per cent in 2014 as compared to 2013, primarily due to less infestation of Leaf Scald as observed in rice in 2014.
Meanwhile, the sale of Herbicides registered an increase of 15.98 per cent in 2014 from the previous year due to increase in labour cost. Sale of Miticides, mainly used on tea and vegetables, also increased by 10.88 per cent in 2014. Sale of Rodenticides, on the other hand, witnessed a decrease of 27.52 per cent in 2014.

Lack of awareness hampering judicious use of pesticides, say experts

Lack of awareness and training among farmers has hampered proper use of pesticides in the country and also prevented farmers from getting desired results in their produce. Experts further point out that non-judicious use of pesticides could further result in health hazards and environmental pollution. According to the Plant Protection Wing under the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the consumption of pesticides in the country came down to 39,253.22 tonnes in 2014 against 41,607.70 tonnes in 2013. Deputy Director of Plant Protection Wing Fazlul Karim Sani said that the reason behind the decrease in the consumption of pesticides is on account of increased awareness, use of bio-pesticides and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). We will witness a gradual decrease in the consumption of pesticides. At present, 11 companies are supplying bio-pesticides which are environment-friendly and are not injurious to health, he added. According to the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA), a representative of 200 pesticide companies in the country, there are some 400 companies that are involved in the import and marketing of about 37,000 tonnes of pesticides annually. The BCPA claims to have imparted training to about 80,000 of the roughly 1.51 crore farmers across the country since 1993. According to BPCA sources, the figure is still nominal and there is need for more training and awareness programmes to ensure the judicious use of pesticides by farmers. BCPA sources further point out that the loss of crops due to pests is around 30-40 per cent, which is equivalent to the food consumed in the country in three or four months. According to the DAE, the loss of rice produce on account of pest attacks is around 16 per cent, while that of vegetables is 25 per cent. The outbreak of new insects and diseases is also increasing due to the impact of climate change, it added. The companies are importing and marketing the pesticides which are not harmful for human health and environment. But we need judicious use of pesticides, said A H M Sadrul Alam, Vice-Chairman of the BCPA. There is lack of training and awareness among the farmers over the application of pesticides. There is still a gap here, he added. Alam, who is also the proprietor of Aungkur Traders, further pointed to the need for monitoring unethical people who are involved in dealing with sub-standard pesticides. Besides, there are some unregistered smuggled products that enter our country through the border areas. These pesticides are a threat to us, he said. According to Alam, the situation in terms of pesticide application has seen some improvement. He further claims that the country would be unable to achieve self-sufficiency in food without the use of pesticides. However, it should be used in a judicious way to avoid health hazards and environmental pollution, he observed. According to the 2014 annual report of the BCPA, the sales of granular insecticides decreased by 12.66 per cent as compared to the previous year due to the introduction of new environment-friendly molecules which require low dosage. Sales of liquid and power insecticides, on the other hand, increased by 3.69 per cent and 9.02 per cent respectively in 2014 due to the sporadic outbreak of Brown Plant Hopper, Leaf Roller, Caseworm, Gallmidge etc. in rice, cutworm in potato, sucking pests in vegetables and Helopeltis in tea. In addition, sales of fungicides (general) in 2014 increased by 1.62 per cent, while sale of Sulphur saw a dip of 7.19 per cent in 2014 as compared to 2013, primarily due to less infestation of Leaf Scald as observed in rice in 2014. Meanwhile, the sale of Herbicides registered an increase of 15.98 per cent in 2014 from the previous year due to increase in labour cost. Sale of Miticides, mainly used on tea and vegetables, also increased by 10.88 per cent in 2014. Sale of Rodenticides, on the other hand, witnessed a decrease of 27.52 per cent in 2014.