Assessment of Agrochemicals Use in Kawadighi Haor at Rajnagar Upazilla and Farmer Perception about Its Impacts on the Fisheries Resources
[1]
Runa Akther Juthi, Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
[2]
Mohammad Tariqul Alam, Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
[3]
Mohammad Saif Uddin, Department of Aquaculture, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
[4]
Muhammad Anamul Kabir, Department of Aquaculture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
[5]
Ibrahim Rashid, Department of Fisheries Biology and Aquatic Environment, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
[6]
Bhaskar Chandra Majumdar, Department of Fisheries Technology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
The present study was conducted to assess the loads and impacts of agrochemicals used at Rajnagar upazilla near the Kawadighi haor. Data were collected from 180 farmers, 100 fishermen and 12 agrochemicals dealers through questionnaire interview. Most of the farmers were marginal farmers (47%). Amount of crop land used by 180 farmers was 239.258 hectors. Maximum farmers were cultivated Boro rice. Urea (0.223±8.114 metric tons), Triple Super Phosphate (0.143±4.137 metric tons) and Muriate of Potash (0.105±5.046 metric tons) were used in these areas. Those fertilizers were highly used in Munshibazar and low in Panchgaon. Basudin (14.5±0.707 L or kg/ha) and Sure (13.34±1.89 L or kg/ha) were highly used pesticide, found in study area. In the study area the yearly increment rate of pesticide in 2011 to 2015 was 1.077%, 1.091%, 1.019%, 1.084% and 1.067%, respectively. Most of the farmers were fully depended on fertilizers and pesticides to increase their production. For identifying disease, 12% farmers went to the pesticide dealer, 16% farmers were depended on Agriculture Officer and 72% farmers were own experienced. Pesticide dealer (83.33%) was the main source of fertilizers and pesticides. Besides it, sub-dealer and upazilla parishod were also the sources of fertilizer and pesticides. Only 15% farmers use all methods of Integrated Pest Management, 64% of the farmers had no idea on Integrated Pest Management and 21% respondents had low-level knowledge but they did not use. For overdoses, aquatic ecosystem in Kawadighi haor is polluted via drainage and irrigation of the field’s water overflow, runoff, erosion and flash flood. Because of the expansive policy and minimize the increasing demand of staple food, the agrochemicals use has been increased tremendously in Rajnagar upazilla. These results suggest that farmers of Kawadighi Haor at Rajnagar Upazilla were used fertilizer and pesticides indiscriminately which had negative impacts on fisheries resources of this haor and adjacent areas.
Agrochemicals, Farmers, Increment Rate, Integrated Pest Management, Aquatic Ecosystem, Rajanagar Upazilla
[1]
Jayanta KB (2010) Fertilizer requirement for boro rice production in Bangladesh. Unnayan Onneshan –The innovators, 13 pp.
[2]
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) (2015) Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics, 27th Series. Statistics and Informatics Division (SID). Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. 577 p.
[3]
BARC (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council), (2005) Fertilizer recommendation guide-2005; Peoples Press & Publications, Purana Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 260 pp.
[4]
Sabur SA, Mollah AR (2000) Marketing and economic use of pesticides: Impact on crop production. ARMP, contact research report. Dhaka: Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, 114 pp.
[5]
Parveen S, Faisal MI (2002) Open water fisheries in Bangladesh: A critical Review. Environmental Studies, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 20 pp.
[6]
Datta SK (1981) Principles and practices of rice production. International Rice Research Institute. Los Banos, Philippines, 349 pp.
[7]
Ahmed R (2004) Goodbye pesticides; www.thedailystar.net/2004/06/16/d4061601033.htm.
[8]
Huan NH, Mai V, Escalada MM, Heong KL (1999) Changes in rice farmers’ pest management between 1992 and 1997 in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Crop Protection, 18: 557-563.
[9]
Sharma DR (2011) Status of Pesticides and Relevant information of Nepal. Paper presented in consultant workshop on SAARC pesticides information sharing network (SPNET) in Candi, Srilanka, 2011, June 30-July 2.
[10]
Mazid MA, Haldar GC (2005) Harmful effects of pesticides used in rice fields on fish and aquatic animals. Extension Manual No. 26. Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, Mymensingh, 16 pp.
[11]
Alam A, Mustafa MG, Azad MAK (2007) Water and sediment quality and plankton diversity of Posna beel, Tangail. Bangladesh Journal of Fisheries, 30 (Special Issue): 177-188.
[12]
Ajayi OC (2005) User Costs, Biological Capital and the Productivity of Pesticides in Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 3 (3): 154-166.
