Experts at a training workshop have underscored the need for optimum and safer use of chemical pesticides in crop fields to save the agro-products from poisonous contamination that causes harms to the public health.They put special emphasis on educating the farmers and disseminating adequate knowledge among them to reduce use of pesticides to an optimum level in combating pests’ attacks and crop diseases for better production.Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA) organised the daylong training workshop on ‘Safer and Optimum use of Pesticides’ for 25 farmers and representatives of five pesticide companies at Sadar Upazila Parishad hall room here on Monday.Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Afzal Hossain attended the workshop, arranged under assistance of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), as the chief guest with central leader of BCPA Debashish Roy in the chair.Rangpur Regional Sales Manager of BPCA Zakir Hossain and its Member Rafikul Islam Shaja addressed the occasion as the special guests. Representatives of different pesticide producing companies conducted different sessions of the daylong the workshop as the resource persons using multimedia projector.The resource persons also demonstrated the process of wearing shoes, gloves and masks while spraying pesticides and promoting biological pest management systems to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides. The experts said the farmers should have adequate knowledge on pesticide use and its handling as half of the farmers in Bangladesh still use more pesticides than the optimum to protect their crops, which is a threat to the public health.They said indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides creates severe threat to public health and stressed for optimum use of pesticides in the fields to combat pests’ attacks and crop diseases for greater national interests.The chief guest stressed for controlling the pesticide markets and providing necessary knowledge among the farmers for combating pests’ attacks and crop diseases ensuring safer and optimum use of the poisonous chemical pesticides to avoid health hazards. -BSS, Rangpur
