Impact of Pesticides in Yangon

Impact of Pesticides in Yangon 

 Han Kyi Thar 

Introduction 

Agriculture Sector in Myanmar 

Myanmar, as an agriculture-based country, it's 70% of people are lived in rural areas. Agricultural sector also contributes about 30% of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 25% of the country’s exports and is the leading employer in the economy, employing 56% of workers. Over 60 different types of crops are grown in Myanmar on 12.8 million hectares – equivalent to 19% of Myanmar’s total land mass. Myanmar was once one of the most important crop producers and exporters in South East Asia. More recently its agricultural production has been characterized by low productivity and high volatility, though strong opportunities remain in the sector. The country’s agricultural crops include rice, jute, wheat, corn, peanuts, beans, cotton, sugarcane, rubber, vegetables, and other high value crops. Paddy rice is the major food crop, covering around 65% of the country’s cultivated area. 

Many developing countries including Myanmar in South East Asia, most of the farmers are used pesticides and fertilizers to improve agricultural products and increase crop yield. A pesticide is a substance or a mixture of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate pest nuisance. The use of pesticides has increased many folds over the past few decades. According to an estimate, about 5.2 billion pounds of pesticides are used worldwide per year. The use of pesticides for pest mitigation has become a common practice all around the world. Their use is not only restricted to agriculture, but they are also employed in homes in the form of sprays, poisons and powders for control-ling cockroaches, mosquitoes, rats, fleas, ticks and other harmful bugs. Due to this reason, pesticides are frequently found in our food commodities in addition to their presence in the air. Pesticides can be natural compounds or they can be synthetically produced. They may belong to any one of the several pesticide classes. Major classes include organochlorines, carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids and neonicitinoids to which most of the current and widely used pesticides belong. Pesticide formulations contain active ingredients along with inert substances, contaminants and occasionally impurities. 

Once released into the environment, pesticides break down into substances known as metabolites that are more toxic to active ingredients in some situations. As a result, the use of pesticides can impact not only the farmer's health but also the environment. Pesticides use can cause water pollution from pesticides residues, soil degradation, and air pollution from its unpleasant odor and so on. The consequences of environmental degradation is related with human's health. Because of above pollutions, people can cause various diseases. The other problem is that the farmers used pesticides in improper ways even there has been instruction for usage. 

Laws, Rules and Regulation related with Pesticides 

In Myanmar, there were declared many rules and regulations which related with the usage of pesticides. The Pesticides Law and the procedures for Pesticides Law were declared on 20th January, 2016. Plant Protection Division (PPD) is one of 15 Divisions of Department of Agriculture under Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. Plant Protection Division is the National Plant Protection Organization of Myanmar. It has been established since 1979 under the Extension Division of Myanma Agriculture Service. PPD provided the disadvantages of pesticides, rules of using pesticides, general precautions, label reading, disposal, storage, first aid treatments for the farmers to ensure sound management of pesticides. 

Pesticides are approved by PRB (Pesticide Registration Board). PRB provided the procedures such as Process for Formulation Licence, Process for Fumigation Licence, Process for Repacking Licence, Process for Wholesale and Retail Licence, Lists of Banned Pesticide in Myanmar, Restricted Pesticides, Application For Registration or Amendment of Registration of Pesticide, Registered Pesticide Lists in Myanmar, Allowed Fumigation Licence Lists in Myanmar, Allowed Formulation Licence Lists in Myanmar, Allowed Repacking Licence Lists in Myanmar. 

Impacts of the usage of pesticides 

Positive Impacts 

If the farmers use the pesticides in systematic ways, there are many advantages for the famers. The top benefit of pesticides is their effectiveness against pests that would otherwise decimate crops large and small. Pesticides help farmers to produce more with less land. One of the positive impact is that the using of pesticides to improve in productivity made to develop the farmer's incomes. By controlling insects and rodents, pesticides prevent the spread of disease and protect buildings from termite infestations. Pesticides help reduce waterborne and insect transmitted diseases. Pesticides have transformed developing countries into food producers. 

Negative Impacts 

The negative impact is that the improper use of pesticides can affect the health of farmers. The high risk groups exposed to pesticides include production workers, formulators, sprayers, mixers, loaders and agricultural farm workers. It also can cause various diseases to farmers. Most of farmer are exposed to pesticides for a long day in the farm, they suffer from headache, itchiness of hands and legs and difficulty in breathing. If they do not use protective clothing and hence, this improper way might lead to health problems. No one deny that there are impacts on environment. The impacts on environment are water pollution (cause of pesticides residues), soil degradation (soil fertility), and air pollution (the unpleasant smell from pesticides) and so on. They cause serious health risks such as cancer, the nervous system diseases and the reproductive problems in people who exposed to the pesticides through home and garden exposure. 

Vegetable Farms in Yangon 

There are many vegetable farms near Yangon for the city daily demand. Sein Shwe Gone is one of the village that vegetable farms near Yangon. It located at the north of Htauk Kyant and is under Bwet Gyi village tract which in turn is under administration of Hmaw Bi Township. There are 268 recorded households and the total population is 520. The basic economy of the village is agriculture with more than 320 acres of arable land. They are one of the main villages exporting vegetables and fruits to Yangon local market. The main export products are spinach, mustard, soap acacia (KaMonChin), lettuce, mums (Gandamar). 

Farmers from this village claimed that they have some knowledge concerned about bio-pesticides, organic farming, crop rotation and cultivating crop mixtures. But they don't have detailed knowledge about those facts even they know not to be used too much pesticides. Because of the increasing population in Yangon, the vegetables demand increase. Therefore, to improve the productivity of farm, the farmers use the large amount of pesticides. Most of farmers don't have enough knowledge with using the pesticides in systematic ways. For example, they don't use protective clothes while they spraying the pesticides, they don’t store the pesticides in proper storage, they don’t wash the containers regularly and so on. Above these facts, it can impact on their health for the long term. 

On the other hand, consumers can suffer from the consequences of the overusing of pesticides. The consumers know about that impacts of pesticides and they feel insecure to eat these vegetables. They will choose the vegetables more beautiful and bigger sizes other than the smaller one. If they know these beautiful products are the result of overusing pesticides, they will not to buy that products. But the ordinary people will buy these products according to their income and knowledge of health. There are many people with different living standard. Some can afford to buy organic vegetable instead of inorganic ones but some cannot afford that products. As the organic vegetables are more expensive than the inorganic ones and there will become a big differences between these groups. 

Ethical Point of View 

The agriculture was the main career of Myanmar people since our ancestor's era. There were no pesticides in our ancestor's agriculture practices. They grew their crops in regular ways according to their population, less development of technology and market demand. They believed Buddha's saying that they do the goodies, they would return back as a good things. Killing the living things is one of the fact in the Five Moral Precepts (Buddha's Teaching). Pesticides can kill the insects and other living things. So that they grew the vegetables without pesticides as they got back healthy lives. Nowadays, according to the increasing population, people use the pesticides for several reasons and they will suffer various diseases. Therefore, farmers should establish the organic farming practices to get more healthy lives like our ancestors. 

Conclusion 

Nevertheless, law enforcement is still weak; there needs to be more training for farmers to identify pesticides without registration. A detailed survey should be carried out as to why farmers are using those pesticides. According to the National Institution, the government will make the laws to be stronger gradually. 

Moreover, farmers should use bio-pesticides (i.e., natural pesticides that are sourced from natural materials, such as minerals, bacteria, plants, or animals) instead of chemical pesticides. The advantages of bio-pesticides are; 

- Friendly to non-target species 

- Do not cause pollution 

- Relatively cheaper 

- Pests never develop resistance 

- Growing market preference. 

Implement organic farming that promotes the use of natural fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and animal feed. In addition, it is the practice of crop rotation and the introduction of "beneficial pests" to maintain soil productivity. Farmers also can add natural materials like compost and minerals to increase soil health and ensure a good yield. The advantages of organic farming are; 

- Produce optimal condition in the soil for high yields and good quality crops 

- Improve the soil physical properties such as granulation and good tilt, good giving good aeration easy rot penetration and improved water holding capacity. 

- Improve the soil chemical properties such as supply and retention of soil nutrient and promote favorable chemical reaction. 

- Provide more healthy and nationally superior food for man and animals that those grown with commercial fertilizers. 

- Help to avoid chain reaction in the environment for chemical spray and dusts. 

- Help to prevent environment degradation and can be used to regenerate degraded areas, and so on. 

These practices should initiate from the government sector to educate the farmers. Environmental awareness knowledge sharing and training programs to village farmers can be done though combined efforts of pesticide manufacturers, local and INGOs taking part in environmental conservation and management fields. As a result, establishing these practices can help in the implementation of Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan. 

 

References 

https://www.myanmarinsider.com/agriculture-sector-development/ 

https://www.eurocham-myanmar.org/uploads/d3b45-989bb-agriculture-2019-draft-5-page.pdf 

https://www.moali.gov.mm/my/laws-and-regulations 

https://ppdmyanmar.org/pesticide-registration-board/ 

https://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/Assessment_FoodSafety_FSWG.pdf