<i>Plant clinics make crops healthy, farmers wealthy</i>

8 March 2009, 18:00 PM

Hasibur Rahman Bilu, Bogra

A doctor and a nurse at Bogra plant clinic examining samples from a diseased guava plant. Photo: STAR

Farmers in Shajahanpur upazila in Bogra district are reaping benefit as three plant clinics are prescribing them in black and white treatment of plant disease and steps to control insects. Under rural plant clinic (RPC) project initiated in 2004, Bogra Rural Development Academy (RDA) trained up six local housewives to help identify and suggest remedy for 800 diseases of seasonal crops including paddy and 1200 insects. These women working at three clinics at Maria, Radhanagar and Rajarampur villages in Amrool union of Shajahanpur upazila give necessary information for cure of plant diseases and show ways to use environment-friendly pesticides in proper dosage. The first phase of the research project was completed last year with the assistance of Global Plant Clinic at a cost of US$ 12,500 (around Tk 8 lakh 60 thousand), said Bogra RDA Joint Director AKM Zakaria, also the project director of RPC project. “We have trained up three women, namely Payara, Anjuara and Afroza, as plant doctors and Aklima, Mahmuda and Rozina as sisters for the three clinics,” he said. “During the last four years, three RPCs, locally known as Palli Foshol Clinics, have provided suggestions to 10,000 farmers about protection of their crops and fruit bearing trees from different diseases and insects. Such initiative for written prescription is the first time in Bangladesh. “We had maintained a free plant clinics for local farmers for three years after starting the project. Now the plant doctors are taking Tk 2 to 10 as fee from farmers, considering the nature of diseases and tests. “The purpose of the project is to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, help applying its proper doses, selecting appropriate pesticides, maintaining environment for human health and set examples of community-based plant clinic model, said Zakaria. “Survey on the rate of chemical pesticide before and after starting the plant clinics show that the use of chemical pesticides have fallen by five percent in our project area. Health hazards like respiratory problems have also reduced,” he said showing report of a survey conducted by Global plant Clinic UK. “Brinjal on my 16 decimal land was seriously attacked by some unknown diseases last year. I used several chemical pesticides to protect the vegetable but it failed. Then I went to local plant doctor Payara. As per her suggestion, I bought some pesticide from an authorised dealer and used it in proper doses. This proved effective and I collected brinjal worth over Tk 18,000 from the damaged field,” farmer Khorshed Alam Ranju of Demajani Village said. Plant doctor Payara said “On completion of training on diagnosis and treatment of diseases and techniques to prevent insects from RDA Bogra four years ago, I started giving prescription to farmers.” There is also a provision for contacting the plant doctor over cell phone for suggestions to protect crops and fruit bearing trees for 24 hours, said plant doctor Afroza. Dr Eric Boa, chief of Global Plant Clinic UK, conducted a programme to train up a group as plant doctors in Bogra a few months ago.