Non-chemical control of pests in an area of 250,000 hectares of farmlands will be implemented by the end of next year (March 20, 2017), said Yahya Ebtali, deputy head of the national Plant Protection Organization.
If funding is provided, the organization is “ready to increase biological pest control coverage to 650,000 hectares,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
At present, 200,000 hectares of farmlands in 24 provinces are under coverage of non-chemical pest control methods. “Currently, the methods are being implemented mostly in paddy fields, tomato farms and apple and pomegranate gardens.”
He also said for the first time, with an aim to enhance quality of biological pest control, a MoU was signed between the Plant Protection Organization and the Plants Research Institute.
According to the MoU, natural biological agents should be collected from the environment and reproduced in large numbers, he added.
The use of pesticides is necessary to prevent crop losses and produce larger quantities of food. Without pesticides, an estimated 42% of all crops produced annually would be destroyed by different kinds of pests. As the population increases the amount of food produced emerges as a crucial factor.
Many of the chemical pesticides found in farm produce have been linked to serious short and long-term health effects including infertility, birth defects and childhood and adult cancers. They can disrupt hormones and interfere with normal development of the nervous system in children.
