Penang, Malaysia\u2014Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP) today urged the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) to consider giving paddy farmers support for safer, non-chemical alternatives to pesticides that can support farmers\u2019 health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
PANAP executive director Sarojeni Rengam made this appeal as the MAFI recently announced<\/a> pesticide incentives worth RM62 million to paddy farmers in response to the increase in prices of pesticides. Around 300,000 paddy farmers will each receive an additional RM100, on top of an existing RM200, per hectare as pesticide incentive.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when we should be more conscious of safeguarding the health of every Malaysian, it is unwise to continue encouraging the use of toxic pesticides. There are many safer, non-chemical alternatives to pesticides, including agroecological practices, that the government can support and incentivize. Now is the most opportune time, as relying on costly chemical inputs is proving to be not sustainable and only causing harm to human health and the environment,\u201d Rengam said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Paddy farmers in Tanjung Karang, Selangor were included in PANAP\u2019s 2018 study<\/a> on the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in the Asia Pacific region. In the study, more than half of surveyed farmers manifested symptoms of pesticide poisoning such as headaches, dizziness, insomnia, convulsions, breathing problems, and damaged skin and nails. Farmers accidentally spilling pesticides on their bodies were highly common. Empty pesticide bottles were found in the stream, rubbish bins, paddy fields and in other open spaces. Children are also exposed to Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) such as glyphosate, paraquat and lambda-cyhalothrin. Studies in Malaysia show that children in the rural areas exposed to pesticides had a significant decrease in learning ability, especially their motor performance and may cause genetic damage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that for many pesticides, no level of exposure is safe. It is more prudent to begin to phase-out these HHPs and join countries, such as Sri Lanka, who have begun to question dependence on chemical pesticides and to look for safer and more sustainable alternatives for farmers,\u201d Rengam said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n