Despite warnings from authorities and increased propaganda, the arbitrary use of pesticides by farmers in Ha Tinh still... happens again!

Farmers in Duc Tho district spray rice blast prevention on spring rice.

Currently, spring rice in Ha Tinh has begun to enter the tillering stage, with rapid leaf development. This is also a favorable condition for many types of pests to arise and damage rice.

According to the investigation of the provincial plant protection agency, since the beginning of the crop, Ha Tinh rice fields have been affected by a number of pests such as thrips, rice leaf borers, golden apple snails, rats and rice blast disease. Along with issuing instructions to farmers on rice care procedures, the provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (PPD) has also coordinated with local authorities to promote the use of plant protection drugs according to the "4 rights" principle (right drug; right time; right concentration and dosage; right method).

However, the wasteful use of pesticides, indiscriminate in dosage, concentration, and timing, still occurs. Especially during peak periods of pest control, this situation occurs in all localities throughout the province.

Through monitoring by specialized agencies, after receiving notices from agricultural extension agencies about the pest situation and prevention recommendations, farmers will go to stores to buy plant protection drugs. Most of them only mention the area and symptoms of pests without paying much attention to choosing the right types of drugs that have been recommended. After receiving the drugs from the seller, farmers will mix them themselves to use in their fields.

According to forecasts, from now on, many pests and diseases will arise and cause damage to spring rice in 2024.

It is worth mentioning that many people do not care about the type of medicine recommended by the agricultural extension agency, the dosage, and how to mix it, but... "estimate" based on experience. After a few days without seeing any results, they even decide to shorten the interval between sprayings because they think it will increase the effectiveness of prevention (the recommended interval is 5-7 days).

In addition, the practice of mixing 2-3 types of pesticides into one sprayer, spraying 100% of the area even though the density and level of pests are still low is also quite common in localities. Explaining this, farmers believe that mixing many types of pesticides in one spray will reduce time and labor in the field; prevent many different types of objects...

According to the leader of the provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the situation of using pesticides indiscriminately has been going on for many years. This practice of farmers not only causes "drug resistance", reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of pesticides, but also causes many dangerous consequences. In particular, failure to comply with the recommendations of agricultural extension agencies can cause economic waste for people, affect health, harm the environment, unbalance the natural ecosystem, and make the land barren...

The reason for this existence is still due to the thinking and awareness of producers. Therefore, in addition to propaganda and recommendations, localities need to closely monitor and inspect pest control work at the facility. There should be clear recommendations for each type of pest on how to spray, when to spray, and dosage; consistently not spraying pesticides indiscriminately.

Improve state management of plant protection, ensure the quality of plant protection drugs supplied to farmers. At the same time, continue to build pest control models to support farmers and promote awareness change for producers.

Mr. Nguyen Tong Phong

Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection

Tue Anh