According to
health experts, various lethal diseases including cancer and kidney failure can develop as a result
of the continuous
consumption
of foods laced with
poisonous chemical
pesticides
Watching over use of pesticides
The agriculture of the country cannot afford to stop the use of chemical pesticides at the moment because the same are necessary to kill pests which can cause 30-40 per cent crops losses every year. But for increasing the total agricultural production as well as minimising harmful effects of chemical pesticides on their handlers meaning mainly the farmers, we can certainly ensure judicious and proper use of pesticides. According to the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA), only 80,000 farmers of the country so far could be given training on proper pesticides use against the rough total figure of 1.51 crore farmers all over the country.
It is really surprising, when the government is spending huge money for the development of agriculture underlining it as a priority sector, only a small number of countrys farmers know how to use chemical pesticides safely for themselves and the crops. Therefore, it has become now obligatory for the governments relevant agricultural entities including the Department of Agricultural Extension to educate the farmers about proper use of chemical pesticides.
Even though use of chemical pesticides over the past years has declined somewhat because of use of bio-pesticides and integrated pest management (IPM)---the figure came down from 41,607.70 tonnes of 2013 to 39,253.22 tonnes in 2014---rampant use of pesticides continues to remain a major problem of our agriculture. As the dangers from eating agricultural produces with chemical pesticides do not appear immediately after consumption and take years to emerge, people eat them without knowing that these chemicals are silently killing them. According to health experts, various lethal diseases including cancer and kidney failure can develop as a result of the continuous consumption of foods laced with poisonous chemical pesticides. That is why for protecting public health, it has become urgent to address this problem. It is imperative to go for a two track policy on chemical pesticides. Firstly, their use will have to be discouraged progressively. Secondly, the discouraging of chemical pesticides will require expansion in the use of natural pesticides or natural ways of pest control to take their place.
The Poribesh Bachao Andolon, an environmental organization, recently tested 82 fruits from the markets and found that 40 per cent of these contain harmful toxic substances three to 20 times greater than what the human body tolerates. This finding should move the agriculture ministry and other relevant organisations to take serious steps for controlling the use of chemical pesticides.
According to report of this daily yesterday, a total of 11 companies are now supplying bio-pesticides that are environment-friendly and for expanding use of bio-pesticides, the government can give a wide range of concessions or incentives so that more companies feel motivated to enter into the business of producing and marketing these pesticides. There is also the need of checking the import of substandard and date-barred pesticides. The government also now should pay heed to the call of green activists who are demanding enactment and enforcement of a strong pesticide control act.
