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Tuesday October 26, 2010

‘Stop excessive use of pesticides’

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: Farmers here are advised not to go overboard when using pesticides to ensure their produce continues to be in demand. “Excessive use of pesticides will affect the good name of Cameron Highlands as a major vegetable producer. “It will also affect the confidence of importers,” said Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Chua Tee Yong.

He also advised the farmers to protect their health. “There have been reports that some farmers have died due to the excessive use of pesticides,” he told reporters after opening the national-level Good Agricultural Practice Campaign here yesterday. He was commenting on the opening speech by agriculture director-general Datuk Roseley Khalid earlier, who said a campaign had been launched to educate farmers on the use of pesticides.

Roseley said the campaign was launched in Cameron Highlands because there had been many reports that farmers here were not prudent when using pesticides for their crops. Chua also called on state governments to communicate regularly with farmers, to give them confidence and security to invest in upgrading their farms.

“One of the reasons why farmers use a lot of pesticides for their crops is because the land lease on their temporary occupation licence is short. “So they use pesticides to increase their production and maximise their output within the given lease time,” he said. In his speech earlier, Chua said he was confident the campaign would create awareness to farmers about the importance of good agricultural practices.