Farmers in Paro can be seen transplanting paddy at this time of the year. But one common practice among the farmers during this time is the use of weedicides. Farmers have been using it for more than a decade. One of the reasons is the labour shortage. They said if they do not resort to using weedicides, it will be a daunting task to suppress the weeds once it outgrows. Almost all ten gewogs in the district cultivate paddy. And paddy is one of the main food crop as well as a cash crop for the farmers.
After completing her paddy transplantation works, 63-year-old Wangmo from Khangkhu sprinkles weedicides in over an acre of land. She uses four bottles of Sunrice mixed with soil. Currently, only two weedicides namely Butachlor and Sunrice are approved by the dzongkhag to be used in the fields.
“Gewog advises us not to use excessive weedicides in our fields as in the long run it will affect our lands. But we have no other choice. If we don’t use the chemical to suppress the weeds then we cannot work at all. We are already facing a labour shortage and it’s daunting when the weeds outgrow the paddy. All the children are in government services,” said Wangmo.
Wangmo is not alone, almost over 90 per cent of the wetland owners in Paro use weedicides to suppress weeds.
“Firstly, it is difficult to get labour and even if we do it is time-consuming. When we use the weedicides now we don’t have to pay much attention to weeds later. We also use urea sometimes when the paddy’s growth is below average. Otherwise, we use manure,” added Om, another farmer.
“We have to sprinkle weedicides in the field after completing transplantation works. If not we have to look for labour that is scarce and even costlier. We have to pay Nu 800 per day along with foods and refreshment,” said Deki, a farmer from Jangteyna, Paro.
The dzongkhag agriculture officials said they sensitize people on the effects of the use of weedicides.
“Our aim is to make Paro organic but seems unlikely. Although we are able to produce vegetables organically, growing rice organically is not possible. One of the main reasons is the labour shortage because of which people use weedicides annually,” said Tandin, the Dzongkhag Agriculture Officer.
He added using excessive chemicals would result in killing the earthworms and other essential nutrients in the soil, deteriorating its quality.
Paro is one of the highest rice producers in the country. Last year, the district produced over 9,864 tonnes of rice, which is equivalent to 822 truckloads.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
