Farmers embrace new pesticide-free method

Farmers of Biswanath upazila in Sylhet are benefiting from using the long-overlooked ‘perching’ method to protect their crops from insects, reports UNB.

This method is gaining momentum among the farmers for being almost free and environment-friendly. Besides this method plays a vital role in protecting the ecological balance.

Lutfur Rahman, a farmer of Dadshor union under the upazila, said he didn’t use any pesticides this year to protect crops on 45 bighas out of his 47 cultivated.

The idea is to let Birds eat up the insects that lay on the branches of bamboos and other trees placed within the 45 bighas, he said, adding that he placed a total of 180 branches of bamboos and trees.     

The farmer informed that he saved Tk 14,000 on pesticides on his 45 bighas land which is a huge support to him.

“We placed branches of bamboos and other trees one month after planting paddy saplings in the lands to protect the crops from the insects,” he said.

“I only used pesticides once this year against the three-four times of the previous occasions,” he said.

New varieties of BRRI dhan75, dhan87 and dhan95 were planted in queue and the perching method was also extended in cooperation with the Agricultural Department, said the farmers of the upazila.  

This perching method was applied on 6,200 hectares of land through influence of the farmers in the upazila this year.

Kanak Chandra Roy, agricultural officer of the upazila, told UNB that the perching is a biological method by which insects and pets can be controlled on croplands.

The planted paddy will not reach a harmful stage if the perching method is applied on time, he added.