Islam Uddin, a farmer at Mirzapur Telipara in Atwari upazila of Panchagarh, says his bitter gourd garden of about three bighas has been ruined after he applied a pesticide, putting more than Tk 1.5 lakh of investment at risk. He wants the product tested, action against those responsible and compensation, banglanews24 reported.
He said he had grown the crop on borrowed money, the plants had borne well and he had already sold two pickings. He bought a one-litre bottle of a bio-pesticide for Tk 1,100 from the shop of pesticide trader Anisur Rahman at Fakirganj bazar and sprayed it on 18 October. From the next day the plants began to discolour, then the shoot tips died and the gourds rotted and fell.
He says the company representative kept in regular touch before the purchase but has not come since the damage, and the seller will not accept liability, leaving him worried about repaying his loans. Neighbouring farmer Faruk Hossain said Islam Uddin's garden had been the best in the area and called for quick government action against adulterated pesticides. Another farmer, Abdul Kuddus, said company representatives push products with promises but often cannot be found when something goes wrong.
The seller, Anisur Rahman Lebu, denied the allegation, saying many other farmers had bought the same product without complaint and that Islam Uddin may not have applied it correctly. Sabuj Ali, the company's assistant marketing officer for Atwari, said he could not understand what had happened and suggested the farmer may have mixed it with another chemical.
Atwari upazila agriculture officer Mostak Ahmed did not answer repeated calls for comment, banglanews24 said.
Photo: Soafaherbals / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: banglanews24
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