SPRAYING OF POISON UNDER THE GARB OF MEDICINE

          The Agriculture Assistant, Grama Sevak, was a frequent visitor at our house. He appreciated our vegetable garden. One day when he came, ‘Ammachi’ complained about the pests which were a menace in our vegetable garden. He advised her to spray medicine on the leaves to get rid of them. He supplied her with two packets of a particular powder and directed her to mix it in water and spray it on our vegetation.

When ‘Ammachi’ opened the packet I gazed at the dull yellow powder had a strong and unpleasant whiff. Her reflex was to cover her nose with a towel. She mixed the powder in water and sprayed it on our vegetable gardens. Miraculously, the pests had all disappeared in a day. This medicine namely D.D.T. was given a warm welcome in many such vegetable gardens which were infested with pests. After a few years this too became ineffective because the pests became immune to it. I have seen ants consuming D.D.T. with no side effects or repercussions. Subsequently   B.H.C was introduced into the market as a pesticide.  The result proved to be the same.  Years later the media revealed that the Government fraudulently used the agricultural department and its officers to promote D.D.T. as a medicine although this pesticide was banned in the United States of America much earlier. By doing so, the Government was jeopardizing the health of the population and was causing serious damage to the environment as well. It was an unpardonable mistake.

  

Another banned item, Aluminium phosphate in round tablet form, was used in ware houses to control pests which badly affect the health of the people.

After all these calamities it is shameful to note that the Central Government is again trying to promote  the spraying of  yet another banned poison, “Endosulphan” on cashew, tea, coffee and other plantations. The spraying of endosulphan in certain    cashew plantations caused mental abnormalities to innumerable persons living in the adjacent three villages of Kasargod Taluk, in the State of Kerala. It is a grave mistake.

Neem oil and cake are natural pesticides to control pests. A few ground hot Chillies, Kanthari, and little Neem oil mixed in a litre of water can be sprayed to ward off the attack of pests in a vegetable garden. Cow dung can be used as a pesticide as well as fungicide. Similarly Bordeaux mixture which is a quick combination of Copper sulphate and Calcium hydroxide is a good fungicide. The use of such medicines will not cause any damage to the crops and the environment.

. I have noticed that the presence of large number of the big red ants (‘Muyiru’ or ‘Mussar’) protects the mangoes from the attack of beetles and other pests by feeding on them.

I have started using “Firamon trap” vended by the Krishi Vigyan Kerala and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute jointly at Ernakulam. This trap is very effective; lots of bettles were trapped and killed and we got lots of nice mangoes during this season.

Excerpts from

 NEED OF THE HOUR

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com