Do Luong: Rice died due to using "illegal" pesticides?

(Baonghean) -7.7 hectares of rice lost

On the way to Hien Son commune - Do Luong district, through Bau fields, Ngu fields..., we again encountered a few dead rice fields next to the green rice fields entering the maiden season.

It turned out that the dead rice fields all used the same herbicide branded ANCO 600 SL by An Giang Plant Protection Company. Mr. Nguyen Tho Minh, a farmer in Hamlet 8, Hoa Bac, indignantly said: This winter-spring crop, his family grew 5 sao of rice. After 10 days of planting, he went to Hien Son Agricultural Cooperative to buy 3 bottles of ANCO 600 SL, 100ml, to spray on an area of ​​1,700 m2 with a dosage of 1 bottle/2 sao (1,000 m2) according to the "oral instructions" of Mr. Dang Van Cuong, the Cooperative's treasurer - the person who directly sold the medicine to him.

After 10 days, the couple went to visit the field and found that the weeds were still "thriving" while the entire rice field showed signs of wilting, turning yellow, and dying. Thinking that the rice was poisoned by herbicide, the family bought ET to detoxify it, but 1,700 square meters of rice continued to turn brown and die. After spraying the antidote, his wife came home with stomachaches and vomiting and had to go to the commune health station for IV fluids, and recovered after two days.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh was weeding rice next to her, tears streaming down her face as she interjected: "My family planted 8 sao of rice, after 7 days, we sprayed weeds on the entire area with ANCO 600 SL. 10 days later, when we went to visit the field, the rice had all died. We hired 5 people to weed the field the day before, but the next day, the newly weeded area also gradually died. You see, the entire area sprayed with ANCO 600 SL weed killer died, while the fields next to it that did not use ANCO 600 SL were still green and growing normally." Notably, Mr. Pham Van Tam's family in Gia Khach hamlet bought ANCO 600 SL to spray before plowing, after which the rice planted on this area also gradually died.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Khanh, Head of the Control Board of Hien Son Cooperative, said that the above amount of pesticides was obtained by Hien Son Agricultural Service Cooperative from Mr. Duong Trong Phuong, a native of Thinh Son commune, a retired officer of the Do Luong District Plant Protection Station, who is now in the pesticide business. After the farmers sprayed the pesticides, the areas with relatively high water surface had little rice death, while the remaining areas with water covering the rice roots had almost 100% death. The entire amount of pesticides, including 50 bottles, provided by Mr. Phuong to Hien Son Agricultural Service Cooperative did not have instructions for use. Only when the incident occurred did an officer of An Giang Plant Protection Company bring the instructions for use to compare. According to statistics, up to now, in Hien Son commune, 50 households have had their fields destroyed by weeding with ANCO 600 SL, with a total area of ​​rice dying of 7.7 hectares.

In Thuong Son commune, households in hamlets 12 and 13 also bought ANCO 600 SL for use. Mr. Le Cong Tung, accountant of Thuong Son Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: This is not the first time Thuong Son farmers have used ANCO 600 SL to kill weeds. In the 2011 winter-spring crop, people in some hamlets also used ANCO 600 SL, but thanks to early detection of rice death, people used antidotes to save part of the area. After the above incident, the commune advised people not to use ANCO 600 SL to kill weeds, but farmers in hamlets 12 and 13 still bought the floating drug to spray. Up to now, in the whole commune, there are over 10 hectares of rice with mild poisoning. The situation of rice dying after using ANCO 600 SL is also happening in Tru Son commune.

Supplier disclaims liability

Mr. Dang Van Cuong, an officer of the Agricultural Service Cooperative of Hien Son Commune - the person who directly received and distributed the medicine to the farmers, said: "I heard Mr. Phuong say that if you buy a whole box of medicine (100 bottles), you will get instructions, but if you only buy 50 bottles, you will only get oral instructions. Seeing the warehouse receipt of Nghe An Plant Protection Service Joint Stock Company dated February 15, 2012, the recipient is Mr. Phuong (Duong Trong Phuong - PV), I also believed him, so I followed his instructions and told the farmers to spray 1 bottle/2 sao. In the past few days, the farmers have come to the cooperative's yard to demand compensation for damages. We have contacted the supplier, and An Giang Plant Protection Company sent representatives to work with them, but they denied responsibility. Seeing the scene of dead rice in the fields, not only the farmers but also the commune is heartbroken."

After the incident, on March 12, Mr. Nguyen Dinh An, representative of An Giang Plant Protection Company, had a meeting with the Hien Son Commune authorities. In the minutes of the meeting between Hien Son Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative and An Giang Plant Protection Company, the Hien Son Commune People's Committee requested the company to coordinate in supporting and helping farmers. However, the representative of the manufacturer concluded: Hien Son Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative took the medicine from an agent that was not in the company's system; the company did not export the goods and did not recommend that farmers use ANCO 600 SL in the winter-spring crop; the agent selling the medicine did not instruct farmers on how to use the medicine as recommended.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam, Head of the Plant Protection Station of Do Luong district, said: "After hearing the information about the incident, on February 28 and 29, the Station sent staff to the area to inspect and instruct people on how to fix it. On March 9, the Station sent 2 engineers to coordinate with the locality to continue monitoring. After 2 inspections, the station staff verified that the source of the goods originated from An Giang Plant Protection Company, the rice died due to poisoning from ANCO 600 SL with active ingredient 2,4D. It is possible that people sprayed the pesticide in conditions of temperatures below 200C for a long time, which is why the rice died. As for the professional aspect, there is no official conclusion yet. The Station will advise the District People's Committee, issue a decision to directly inspect Mr. Duong Trong Phuong, report the incident to the Inspection Department, Nghe An Plant Protection Sub-Department for handling and resolution".

Mr. Tran Doan Hung, Head of the Department of Agriculture of Do Luong district, said: "This is a new type of pesticide that has been put into use. The supplier goes directly to the localities and sells directly to farmers without going through the local authorities, so it is very difficult for us to control. We have worked with the district Plant Protection Station, requested to verify related information, and will strictly and resolutely handle the pesticide supplier that causes damage. For the related parties, the responsibility will be handled accordingly. We direct the locality to make efforts to handle herbicide poisoning, ensuring that the yield is equal to the unpoisoned rice fields in the area. If the yield is low, the supplier must support the farmers."

Vo Van Dung