The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) is allegedly giving preferential treatment to several pesticide companies by prescribing their products to Bt Brinjal farmers in its published booklet.
In a booklet titled “Variety Development and Developing Technology of Modern Bt Variety in Bangladesh,” the BARI reportedly promoted different products by prescribing several brand names of insecticides to be used against different types of insects and plant diseases.
The different products, which include fungicides and miticides, are made by foreign companies, while they are marketed and distributed by local companies. The manufacturers are located in countries like Germany, Singapore and Italy.
“We have mentioned the brand names of the chemicals in the booklet as examples, so that the farmers will be aware about them,” said Rafiqul Islam Mondol, director general of the BARI.
However, he admitted that mentioning the name of any brand to the farmers was unethical, as it promoted particular products.
Currently, about 3,000 registered chemicals are used as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in Bangladesh, with the products being marketed by local companies under different brand names to fight pests and plant diseases.
Preferring to stay unnamed, an official of a pesticide company that is promoted in the BARI booklet, said such promotion by government officials helps increase sales to some extent.
However, the BARI director general said the brand names were mentioned with good intention, and not for promoting any product.
Nazrul Islam, pesticide regulatory officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), also echoed the BARI DG on the issue.
Although there is a moral barrier against the promotion of any brand by the government, agriculture officers sometimes have to mention brand names to make farmers aware about the use of particular products to get good result against some pests and diseases, Nazrul said.