Lankan farmers at high risk of using extremely hazardous agro-chemicals

By Ifham Nizam

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) on Friday said that a recent study by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has found that Lankan farmers are at a risk of using highly hazardous agro-chemicals.CEJ Research Scientist, Chalani H. Rubesinghe, said that the study indicated that Lankan farmers used seven types of pesticides which have been listed under the PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides.

A vast majority of farmers were unaware of the names of the agrochemicals that they use, Research Scientist Rubesinghe said. “They commonly called all pesticides as Panubeheth. Many farmers were reluctant to reveal the names of the agrochemicals. Thus, the actual percentage used by farmers of these agrochemicals is obviously higher than available data,” she said.

She said that the survey also revealed that farmers did not follow the recommended dose in practice. Mixing two or more pesticides to obtain high efficiency was a common practice and they were unaware of potential harmful effects of this practice, on themselves as well as on the environment.

She said that agrochemicals most popular among farmers were the ones that have breached guidelines and failed the standards set by the international bodies including the WHO.The study was on the usage of pesticides among different crop cultivators to trace the types of agrochemicals used, quantities and practices in using, storing and disposal of these agrochemicals.

The study followed the stratified convenience sampling method, using 367 individuals engaged in paddy, vegetable, maize, fruit, exotic crops, ornamental plants, spices, and tea cultivations in nine districts of Sri Lanka.