'Make optimum use of pesticides', experts launch campaign to educate Haryana farmers

Chandigarh, May 6

The Agro Chem Federation of India (ACFI) today launched a mass campaign to create awareness among farmers about the right and optimal use of pesticides for increasing the yield, quality and income.

During the launch here, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare JP Dalal flagged-off five mobile vans to educate, engage and empower farmers.

Dalal said these mobile vans would spread the message ‘Jaago Kisan Jaago’ in true sense across Haryana that by using pesticides with new technology and buying farm inputs against a GST bill would help the farmers increase their yield, quality and income significantly.

He urged farmers not to buy any pesticides and agriculture-related materials without a bill. Those sellers who fail to provide bills may be selling fake products and farmers need to be alert, Dalal added.

He further said at a time when our country was aiming to become a $5 trillion economy, unscrupulous elements were flooding the Indian markets with low-quality and spurious agricultural inputs, which might derail the progress in the field of food production.

Meanwhile, ACFI director general Kalyan Goswami said there was an urgent need to check the sale of bio-products laced with unauthorised and unregistered chemical pesticides by dummy companies as it impacted the lives and livelihood of farmers and posed a grave threat to India’s food security and environment.