Dizengoff alerts farmers on pest control

Farmers have been advised not to take pest control for granted in preparing their fields for cultivation, as the planting season gets underway.

Dizengoff’s Manager, in charge of agrochemicals, Stephen Adeniran, who said this in Lagos, while previewing the company’s progress in the agric sector in recent times, said going by experiences of the recent, it will be suicidal for any farmer to overlook or take the issue of pest control with levity not only during cultivation and after, but also very importantly during the process of preparing the field for planting.

“It starts from there, and this also goes for other agric forms. Pests are a great threat, especially to any crop producing enterprise and it’s a serious issue.

Because, they have capability to reduce and in some instances cause total crop failure, as we have witnessed in parts of this country in recent past, where entire farming communities were devastated by invasion of pests.

“So pest control is an integral part of crop production, which must start with preparing the field for cultivation, and it is a key part of the mix during and after planting. I will advise that farmers see it as such in order to achieve overall success during harvest, no matter the farm type or scale of operation. Start with pest control,” he advised.

Adeniran while addressing the issue of efficacy and safety of chemicals in dealing with the menace of pests, however, emphasised the importance of choosing the right agrochemicals, adhering by the label instruction on usage and using personal protective equipment (PPE).

“There might be eggs of harmful insects hibernating in the soil and you need to get rid of them before planting. But of course, care must be taken to get appropriate chemicals that will not harm or alter the nature nor contaminate the crop in the long run.” In the case of maize for instance, Pyrinex 48EC could be safely used for land preparation before cultivation.”

According to him, Pyrinex 48EC from Dizengoff Nigeria could be used to ensure balance between efficacy and safety