RAJSHAHI, May 29, 2019 (BSS) – Large-scale promotion of bio-rational pest management in mango farming has become crucial for boosting the mango production side by side with reducing toxic chemical pesticides and management of different insects and pest in mango in the region.
Mango is one of the major cash crops in Rajshahi region so its economic importance must be protected through successful application of bio-rational pest management technologies as the government has a policy of ensuring food
and nutritional security.
Fruit scientists and researchers made this observation while addressing
a field day titled “Bio-rational Based Management of Insect pest of Mango” at
Monigram village under Bagha Upazila in the district today.
Entomology Division of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI)
hosted the programme in association with its ‘Development and Expansion of
Bio-rational-based Integrated Pest Management Technologies of Vegetables,
Fruits and Betel Leaf’ project. More than 60 mango farmers took part in the
meeting.
Dr Debasish Sarker, Chief Scientific Officer of BARI and Director of the
project, addressed the farmers gathering as focal person with its Principal
Scientific Officer Dr Mokhlesur Rahman in the chair.
Principal Scientific Officers Dr Alim Uddin and Dr Nirmal Kumar Dutta,
Senior Scientific Officer Dr Jagadish Chandra Barman, Upazila Agriculture
Extension Officer Al Mamun Hassan and mango farmer Saidul Islam also spoke on
the occasion.
Dr Debasish Sarker urged the farmers to follow only the guideline of the
field level agricultural officials and scientists instead of any insecticide
dealers and sellers during the mango farming from its nursing to fruit
harvesting for the sake of a sound public health and environment.
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-rational pest management widely.
He told the meeting that BARI has developed a number of bio-rational-
based integrated pest management technologies of mango and has been expanding
those to farmers level through various training and motivational programmes.
Dr Debasish Sarker also urged the attending farmers to motivate others
in this regard through the best uses of their knowledge acquired from the
training as holistic efforts is very vital to attain the cherished goal.