PASSING LANES

Pesticide-free farm produce
by Jorge Pawid

Benguet farmers continue to be saddled with insects damaging their agricultural crops aside from poor quality produce unknowingly because of the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Many times have they been hit by crop diseases that have either wiped out their farms or if not resulted in dwarfed and inferior harvests.

Some unschooled and many gullible to the magic wonders that chemical pesticides and fertilizers have done to their old crops, majority of farmers have resorted to the use of these farm inputs. Sometimes excessively, they would even serve their own vegetables or fruits on their own dining tables for their own consumption.

While the effect has brought in big profits, consumers are the innocent victims of the malpractice.

It was only lately that government stepped in to control if not eradicate harmful chemical farm inputs to the extent of labeling them as red, blue and green. Despite the government regulations, the abuse of these products continue.

People, especially housewives doing the market chores are now aware of the ill-effects of excessive chemical use on farm products that they are shifting to other vegetables and fruits they believe are free from pesticides.

Some would prefer vegetables peppered with holes in the belief that if insects survive to devour the plants, then these are free from toxic materials used on the edible plant.

Others prefer to plant their own vegetables and fruits free from any chemical inputs.
Technical experts now believe that agricultural products can survive without any chemical use to increase growth and improve quality. This is the Integrated Pest Management program the government is pushing farmers to adopt.

Concerned leaders and organizations now believe that unless the malpractice of farmers continues, Benguet’s vegetable and fruit industry may very soon collapse.

Already, the effects are showing because of the abuse. Even diseases unheard of before to farmers have now afflicted people residing in and near these farms that have been blanketed with much chemical use on the plants and soil.

Sablan’s once prestigious reputation of being the best banana producer in northern Luzon has been stripped of the title because of a disease that wiped out the industry.

Many vegetable farms along the Mt. Trail in northern Benguet are now threatened by various plant pests that are very difficult to eradicate. An indication that even with new chemical available, the pests have already become immune.

A project designed to use natural predatorial and beneficial insects against the pests is now in place thru concerned efforts of local officials and the academe. Farmers aware of the threat on the local agriculture industry are anxiously awaiting the results of the studies.

We hope the researches are successfully completed ASAP so that we as consumers can now eat pesticide-free agricultural products. It is also our prayer that the illnesses associated with chemical use will soon be a thing of the past.

Let us patronize pesticide-free agricultural produce otherwise called organic food. It is our way of celebrating earth day daily.