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Analysis of toxic residues on food, particularly vegetables will soon be possible as the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University plans to set up Pesticide Testing Laboratories at its constituent colleges in Madurai and Killikulam, according to a top university official
The TNAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Murugesa Bhoopathi, said farmers resort to 12-15 sprays of chemical pesticides for vegetables, which results in toxic residues in harvested produce. These laboratories would analyse them, he said.
He stressed on the need to increase vegetable productivity to meet the projected demand of 170 million tonne in 2025 against the present 109 mt and said the demand could be met through improved Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices.
Though the area under vegetable crops occupied only about two per cent of the cultivated area in the country, it consumes 13-14 per cent of the total pesticides used for agriculture, he said, addressing a function of ‘Farm school on All India Radio,’ recently.
By adopting IPM practices with special emphasis on biopesticides, farmers can reduce pesticide load on crops and supply quality vegetables to the consumers, he said.
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