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Fidelis Munyoro
A growing demand for safer and more environmentally-friendly solutions in agriculture should see farmers shift from synthetic pesticides to biological defence mechanisms that enhance crop productivity and reduce chemical environmental and ecological impact.
The eco-friendly alternatives help in enhancing plant growth, improve soil health unlike the synthetic pesticides that have become a health hazard for humans and the environment due to their toxicity and pollution.
The adoption and use of bio pesticides by farmers was at the centre of discussion at a National Bio-technology Authority workshop on interventions towards enhancing the registration and use of bio pesticides in the country, held last week in Harare.
The objective of the workshop was to educate key stakeholders on the benefits of using bio-pesticides, create awareness of existing regulations for biopesticides and create awareness of the need to adopt the Harmonized Bio-pesticide Guidelines for the Sadc region.
Dr Dumisani Kutshwayo, the Chief Director in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development said Government was taking crucial steps towards improving regulation and use of pesticides.
He told the participants that using new technologies such as bio-pesticides increased agricultural production and productivity.
“This is expected to result in increased food security and agricultural exports thereby improving rural livelihoods and alleviating poverty,” he said.
“In pursuit of these goals, the Government has disseminated appropriate technologies and continues to undertake research to enhance food production through the improvement of germplasm and pest management in collaboration with several local and international research institutions.
“As you are aware, bio-pesticides are pest management tools from natural resources that are an important component of integrated pest management.”
Dr Kutshwayo noted that research on bio-pesticides had advanced with the discovery of fungi, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes capable of suppressing important pests of crops. Some of these products are currently under trial while some have already been commercialised.
“Bio-pesticides are, therefore, options for pest management. If we could abide by the regulations put in place and embrace wider usage that would be beneficial,” he said.
Bio-pesticides are derived from biological sources, exist in nature, and are comparatively benign to the environment.
NBA Chief Executive Officer Deckster Savadye said his institute has been monitoring and registering agricultural bio-technology products such as biopesticides, under the agriculture sector.
NBA and the Fertiliser, Farm Feeds and Remedies Institute are national regulating authorities for biopesticides while Kutsaga Research Station, regulates the use of bio-pesticides in the tobacco industry.
An expert in crop science, Dr Stanford Mabasa, said Zimbabwe has high potential to develop bio-pesticides to target weeds, insects, pests and pathogens and called for collaborations among the scientists from different disciplines.
Bio-pesticides are, however, faced with problems of formulation, registration, commercialisation, acceptance and adoption and a great deal of awareness among farmers on the advantage of using the biologicals is needed.
The workshop was held under the auspices of the Southern Africa Bio-pesticides Project titled, “Enhancing Trade Through Regulatory Harmonization and Bio- pesticide Based Residue Mitigation in the SADC region”.
The participants were drawn from academia, researchers, regulators, farmers, captains of agriculture industries, among other stakeholders.
Online Reporter