China initiates pesticide-application safety training program

China has recently initiated pesticide-application safety training so as to elevate the technical level of safe pesticide applications to enable a positive control from the source over the pesticide residual contamination, which alleviates the hazard to human, livestock, and environment as well as to safeguard the safety and quality of farm product.

According to industry expert, China’s technical level of safe pesticide applications is falling behind the world advanced level, being reflected by the following:

1. Farmer’s lack of pesticide safe application awareness

Pesticide application requires higher technical level which should take care of issues such as time of application, concentration of mixing, selection of right pesticide for right crop. Additionally due to the existence of various pest diseases and emergence of novel pesticides, farmers have difficulties in understanding the application techniques, resulting in misuse of pesticides in some regions. Therefore it is imperative that farmers are provided with technical training and supervisor’s advice.

2. Poor application instruments

Farmers are very scattered in China’s countryside, there above 90% of farmers use non stabilized and non antidripping manual sprayer for pesticide applications. Also due to the lack of safety awareness, poisoning incident occurs from time to time. To promote the use of high-efficient application device has become an important priority job at present.

3. Crop pest control legislation seriously lagging behind

So far over 100 countries have enacted crop pest control-oriented laws and regulations whilst China’s crop pest control legislation is seriously lagging behind. Up to date there is not a planting protection and disaster prevention law or regulation in place yet, so there is no legal basis to govern the planting protection and disaster prevention actions, which very often are handled unsatisfactorily.

“To enhance pesticide application safety via the application technical training will not only help farmers to understand the importance of application safety and application technique but will also facilitate an effective treatment to pesticide residues from the source to ensure the quality and protect the rural environment”, said Shao Zhenrun, the Director of Pesticide Instrument Division of the National Agro-Tech Extension and Service Center (NATESC) at the kickoff meeting of the pesticide-application safety training program.