The Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh has constituted a high-level committee to look into the country's pesticides sector. This committee has been given the task of reviewing the existing pesticide-related laws and regulations, registration and licensing mechanism, laboratory facilities, administrative mechanisms and monitoring mechanism for reforms. Above all, this committee has been asked to devise policies which will ensure safe food without damaging soil, water, biological system and the health of the consumers. Clearly, it is a welcome move.
The task, however, is a challenging one. Yet, this initiative could not have come at a better time. For decades, the agricultural success of Bangladesh was determined by its output alone. High-yield crops, irrigation and the use of chemicals changed Bangladesh from a food-insecure country to one self-sufficient in food. This achievement deserves recognition. However, success always has its own challenges. One of the biggest challenges that the country has faced is the excessive use of pesticides and the consequent public health concern.
Studies found agriculture produces like vegetables and fruits that consumers buy daily are not at all fit for consumption as excessive pesticides exist in them. The implications of the issue go far beyond the dining table. Excessive use of pesticides slowly affects the fertility of the soil by destroying the necessary microorganisms for proper crop cultivation. The chemicals get into water and harm fish and other aquatic lives. Bees, butterflies, and many other useful insects that naturally pollinate crops or help eradicate harmful insects from the crops are decreasing day by day from the agricultural field, mainly due to excessive use of pesticides in crops.
The newly formed committee has an opportunity to tackle not only the problem of regulation but also the entire approach to pest control in Bangladesh. The first step that needs to be taken by the committee is to make sure that only quality pesticides are sold in the country. Substandard, adulterated and counterfeit products have been a longstanding issue in the agricultural inputs market. These products do little to prevent pests from spreading and force farmers to use too much of the product as they try to correct its failure.
Regulation alone, however, will be able to solve this problem. Integrated pest management needs to be promoted in the country in keeping with global practices. Currently farmers across the globe are increasingly using integrated pest management where biological control, use of resistant plants, rotation of crops and monitoring is done before the use of chemicals. This reduces the cost of production, ensures ecosystem protection and sustains crop production without affecting food security.
The new committee also needs to find out whether there are any shortcomings in the existing regulations to suit the present situation. Pesticide regulations of the country have developed over the years and agriculture has seen a lot of changes during this period.
Industrial policies need attention too. Bangladesh has increasing capabilities to produce pesticide formulations locally. However, if the local manufacturers can maintain international quality standards, industrial policies need to favour the domestic manufacturers, without helping foreign manufacturers by unfair tax regimes or bureaucratic red tape. However, incentivising local manufacturing needs to be done without jeopardising safety and environmental standards. The aim, ultimately, should be safe and low-cost crop protection formulations for farmers.
Reform in pesticide management is no longer just a responsibility in terms of environment; it is also an economic imperative.
Public awareness among consumers can play an important role in improving pest control management. Transparency on all levels of the food chain will not only improve practices in agriculture but will also provide consumers with knowledge that can help them make wise decisions.
Bangladesh can be proud of the achievements made thus far in terms of producing enough food for its populace. The next objective should be ensuring that food available at each household is not just plentiful but also safe.
A food chain of a country should nourish its citizens, not put them at risk. It is high time to ensure that agriculture becomes less dependent on indiscriminate use of pesticides and that it builds a production model which protects the consumers.
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