ZCZC
BSS-09
BIOPESTICIDE-MANAGEMENT (with picture)
Promoting bio-pesticide for safe food production stressed
RAJSHAHI, March 15, 2019 (BSS)- Substantial and sustainable promotion of
bio-pesticide is very crucial for producing safe food side by side with
protecting soil health from further degradation.
Using chemical pesticides in farming fields is always harmful to soil and
public health, crops and environment. So, there is no way but to giving
utmost importance towards promoting bio-pesticides widely.
Agricultural scientists and researchers came up with the observation while
addressing the closing session of a two-day training workshop for trainers at
Fruit Research Station (FRS), an entity of Bangladesh Agriculture Research
Institute (BARI), in Rajshahi city today.
BARI in association with its ‘Development and Expansion of Bio-rational-
based Integrated Pest Management Technologies of Vegetables, Fruits and Betel
Leaf in Bangladesh’ project organized the workshop titled “Bio-rational Based
Management of Insect pest and diseases of vegetables and fruit crops”.
Scientists and researchers from BARI’s Entomology and Plant Pathology
Division conducted the training sessions as resource persons disseminating
their expertise on the issue.
More than 70 sub-assistant agriculture officers and scientific assistance,
who took part in the training, were given ideas and knowledge on how to
promote safe and eco-friendly pest management technologies in vegetable and
fruit farming fields through motivating and inspiring the farmers in general.
Chaired by FRS Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) Dr Alim Uddin, the
session was addressed, among others, by PSOs Dr Ashraf Uddin Ahmed, Dr Nirmal
Kumar Dutta, Dr Sultan Ahmed and Dr Ziaur Rahman and Senior Scientific
Officer Dr Aktaruzzaman Sarker.
Addressing as guest of honour, Rezaul Islam, Deputy Director of the
project, says normally farmers apply chemical insecticides and pesticides in
farming fields, killing all the insects including the useful ones causing
environmental degradation.
But when the harmful insects are detected through the bio-pest management
technologies, they can save money by applying cheaper bio-pesticides to kill
that particular pest as per the expert’s suggestion.
Agriculturist Islam, who is also Deputy Director (Integrated Pest
Management) of Department of Agriculture Extension, urged the participants to
motivate the farmers in this regard through the best uses of their knowledge
acquired from the training.
He says all insects are not harmful for the crops but the chemical
pesticides or insecticides are more or less dangerous for both human health
and other beneficial insects.
Agriculturist Rezaul Islam, however, says the destructive as well as the
injurious insects can easily be controlled through promoting eco- friendly
method of using organic fertilizer and indigenous insecticides instead of
chemical ones.
Bio-pest management system should be promoted among the growers widely to
protect the beneficial insects from degradation for the sake of maintaining a
sound environment and that is very important for a sound ecosystem.
BSS/AH/MR/ 1218 hrs