AN official of the City Agriculturist Office (CAO) reminds local farmers in Davao City not to resort to using chemical spray in their farms.
“Kay mahal ang kemikal. Naa ta'y mga biological control nga pwede nato gamiton (It is expensive. We have biological controls we can use),” Bing Almador, CAO Rice Focal Person, said in an interview with Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday, November 23, 2022.
She said the biological control method is a way to counter the insects that destroy the rice fields.
“Like sa ilaga, unsa man atong pwede ilaban, iring kay mokaon man og ilaga, mga bitin, but kini siya kung manageable ang mga kadaghanon sa mga ilaga (Let’s say there are rats in your farm, you can have a cat to use against them since cats catches rats, or snake but again this is only applicable if the case is still manageable),” Almador said.
Almador said there are also mechanical methods to kill pests.
“Naa tay mga traps para sa mga ilaga, or mga manual nga pamaagi (We can use traps against rats, or get rid of them manually),” she said.
Almador said farmers may also visit their office or the Department of Agriculture for consultation for proper intervention.
“Tudloan pud nato ang mga farmers unsaon paggamit sa hilo kay basin og maunay ta, kay kanang hilo sa ilaga hilo pud na siya sa tao. Unya ibutang nimo sa lugar nga dili madamay ang mga manok (We need to educate them how to properly use the poison or the chemical since this can also kill humans),” she said.
She added that there are also protocols that need to be followed if they opt to spray chemicals.
“Dili pud ta magpataka og spray, tan-awon ang panahon kay dili sa tanang oras pwede ta mag-spray like kung maghangin-hangin ang panahon dili gyud ta mag-spray kay basin ang mist sa spray ana basin mapadulong sa imuhang nawong (We should not spray irresponsibly. Check the weather if it is okay to spray on that day because if it is too windy then you should not consider doing it because there’s a chance that you will still be harmed by its mist),” she said.
Almador said one of the impacts is if a person caught the chemical spray instead of the crops it causes the slow deterioration of the body.
“So dapat naay awareness sa atong mga mag-uuma ug naay proper nga soot og dili tong magsando (Our farmers need to be aware of these things especially the proper attire to wear if they are going to spray),” she said.
Almador said farmers should consider proper education on the use of the chemicals for their crops so that their time, effort, and money will not be wasted as well as for their safety.
“Nananom ta para naa tay panginabuhian pero nitiorok ta kay mali atong practice (We are farming for our livelihood but we end up harming ourselves because of incorrect practices),” she said. KSD