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Illegal chemical pesticides in Puttalam; Farmers lose their crops
View(s):- They say Govt. did not give them enough time or resources to adjust to organic agriculture
Story and pix by Hiran Priyankara
Pesticides that were brought illegally from India and sold in the Eluwankulama area of Wanathawilluwa have destroyed crops in Thawusamaduwa.
However, due to the unavailability and high costs of weedicides and pesticides necessary to protect their crops, farmers have been facing challenges for a long time.
Toxic chemicals harm crops, people, and the environment
Many farmers also complained that they were not given enough time or resources to transition from conventional farming techniques to organic farming techniques. They also said this government did not provide them access to organic pesticides, weedicides or fertiliser.
“When we bought the oil that we used as a pesticide, we did not check which country it was made in, or the standard of it. We applied it as soon as possible, as we believed this oil was good for killing weeds and insects,” said Eluwankulama United Farmers Organisation Chairman A M Nawfik. Mr Nawfik said the yields of their crops fell by nearly half after the import ban on chemical pesticides and weedicides was imposed.
Many farmers could not afford the inputs they relied on previously due to the high costs, he added.
Puttalam Deputy Agriculture Director Tarangika Shamali said the farmers were more focused on using chemicals for weed and pest control and were not using organic solutions.
“Organic methods can be used successfully to control or kill insects and weeds. In fact, every agricultural service centre in the country has machines for weed control. But farmers find that using chemicals is easier,” she said.
However, the Deputy Director said the chemicals they used were toxic, and could cause harm to crops, people, and the environment. She added that the use of illegal pesticides and weedicides had been widespread lately, and believed that organic agricultural inputs needed to be readily available at lower costs.
She also said farmers needed education on the harm caused by agrochemicals.
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