Eco-friendly bagging method saves eggplants from pests

KHULNA, Nov 10: Eggplant cultivation by using the eco-friendly bagging method has gained widespread popularity in Betaga union of Fakirhat upazila of Bagerhat district to protect vegetable from infestation of pests.

Most of the farmers in the area are adopting the technique receiving training from the local agriculture office and under its extensive supervision.

According to some local farmers, earlier they used to lose around 25 to 30 per cent of the crop every year if their eggplant fields were attacked by pests.

A few farmers later started farming the vegetable using the bagging method last year.

Since then, more than 20 farmers have been growing healthy eggplants in their fields using the technique.

Local farmers said bagging method is a new technology for the eggplant growers in the region. Bagging method does not require any pesticides.

Sarjit Kumar Pal, a farmer from Dhanpota village, said he came to know about the method from a training course in the upazila agriculture office.

"Later, I started growing the vegetable adopting the method. I never thought that I would be able to make such good profit by cultivating eggplant. Earlier, per maund, about eight to nine kgs of eggplant got destroyed for insect attack."

Farmer Ananda Kumar said bagging method saves cost and increases production.

Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Tanmoy Kumar Dutta said, "We provide training to the farmers on this method. Some of them started experimental cultivation in the Muscata Beel area of Betaga union."

Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohammad Nasrul Millat said farmers apply excessive pesticides to control eggplant tips and fruit borers, which is fatally detrimental to public health and the environment.

Not only this, pesticides also increase the production cost of eggplant.

Quinolphus has been found in eggplant 14 times more than the tolerable level in human body. To solve this problem, it has been possible to protect eggplants from diseases and insects by applying bagging technology.

On the other hand, use of polythene bags in the method protects the eggplants from any birds, rats and adverse weather.

While using, the bags are to be burnt together. It is possible to produce relatively safe and non-toxic eggplants by using the bagging method.

Anyone can use it in farming of other fruits and crops. An experimental success has been achieved in this method of eggplant cultivation.

Fakirhat Upazila Parishad Chairman Swapan Das said, "Although we have achieved self-sufficiency in food, we have not been able to achieve such success in producing and marketing safe food."

"Therefore, we have provided extensive assistance to the farmers of the area to produce and market safe food by organising them through the IPM ICM Club. As a result, they are now using bagging technology and organic methods to produce safe food," he added.

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