Dear Editor,
Rice farmers are once again tasked with the struggle to repel the ever advancing infestation of paddy bugs in their rice fields. These insects are the farmers’ greatest fear in every rice-farming community. They evolve unnoticed and reach maturity in a short space of time, then spread rapidly, leaving behind massive destruction to the farmers’ rice crops. If left unchecked the financial losses can go into hundreds of millions and pose a serious threat to the general well-being of the rice industry.
To eradicate paddy bugs, we must have a holistic effort by the relevant branches of the Ministry of Agriculture, more especially the Entomology Service Department. This very important scientific establishment deludes the farmers with its services. We are only keen and committed farmers, we are not all entomologists or insect exterminators.
With such a devastating outbreak of paddy bug infestation. GRDB has been very mean with rice farmers everywhere; there have been a few notifications in the print and electronic media and the wool is pulled over the farmers’ eyes. Extension field visits take the form of touch and go. Poor fellows, they have limited manpower. Would it be too much to ask the GRDB Board of Directors to print enough flyers on how to manage the infestation of paddy bugs? A flyer would be written instructions in the farmers’ hands that can be used for reference any time. Very few rice farmers are totally illiterate. Remember how well lit the Ministry of Agriculture building was not so long ago and it was adjudged the winner and got the first prize? A fraction of what was spent there could print all the flyers we need. But then who cares?
The negligible information on electronic media comes at times not convenient to the rice farmers, and to our dismay there is no programme guide. We are not asking for prime time, but reasonable time; beyond eight o’clock is not the appropriate time to air such vital programmes for rice farmers. At the above time, most rice farmers would be in bed in deep sleep rejuvenating enough body energy for the next day’s tasks.
Editor, a question for all stakeholders in the rice industry, is whether we have ever seen or heard of a time when the importers of agro-chemicals applied for permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to dispose of expired toxic agro-chemicals? Intuitive knowledge and shared common experience tells me that these people obviously do not have to take this course of action. They usually dump their obsolete products on the unsuspecting rice farmers ‒ at a premium price too. This very mean act takes place under the very eyes of the Bureau of Standards. The resilience of insects to such chemicals, can lead to continuous damage.
We had used Breston powder to kill snails immediately after sowing this current crop. The results were very poor. The chemical failure caused all the plots to sustain similar damage. Every good farmer will tell you when the snails did the damage by looking at his internal drainage systems. At this juncture I am making a citizen’s appeal to the Bureau of Standards and environmental agency for them to do their respective agency’s work the way it should be done.
Yours faithfully,
Ganga Persaud
