Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Manh Phuong shared with The Hanoi Times solutions to make Hanoi's agriculture safer.

Safe farming model in Van Noi Commune, Dong Anh District. Photo: Lam Nguyen/ The Hanoi Times

How would you assess the current status of pesticide use in Hanoi?

Though the city has a very large agricultural land of about 150,000ha, farmers in Hanoi are using pesticides much less than most localities across the country. 

The latest statistics showed that the average use of pesticides in Hanoi is 1.5kg per hectare per year. In some districts in the city, the rate of pesticide use is even lower, such as Phu Xuyen with 0.25kg per ha per year and Chuong My (0.3kg). It compares to the country's average rate of nearly 10kg per ha per year. 

What are the reasons for the decreasing use of pesticides in Hanoi in recent years?

It's attributed to changes in farmers' awareness of safe production, instead of old farming habits, contributed by the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's annual training courses, especially those on integrated pest management (IPM), which help control pests and diseases, limiting the use of pesticides while transferring technical advances in agricultural cultivation to farmers. 

Like many other localities, Hanoi has not completely eliminated pesticides in agricultural production. What is your advice for farmers?

In fact, even in countries with advanced agriculture, where pests, insects and diseases are under control, pesticides remain in use but under control.

Therefore, the city's farmers are recommended to use pesticides in a safe way with the right types of chemicals for the right variety of crops.  

Currently, the number of establishments producing and selling biological and herbal pesticides in Hanoi is still very small. Production cost is high but the output is low. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related units should soon map out mechanisms and policies to promote the safer use of natural pesticides.

Currently, the use of biological and herbal pesticides is becoming more popular in many localities. How is the situation in Hanoi?

In the past 10 years, farmers have paid more attention to the use of biological and herbal pesticides in farming. The use of natural pesticides in Hanoi currently accounts for about 50% of the total. 

However, it requires time and efforts to encourage farmers to completely switch to environmentally friendly pesticide products. In addition, disseminating the benefits of biological and herbal pesticides among farmers is an effective way currently.

What is the role of management in the use of pesticides for sustainable agricultural development?

Improper use of pesticides will cause many serious consequences to people’s health and safety. For that reason, we encourage the right use of pesticides, especially biological and herbal pesticides in agricultural cultivation. This is a prerequisite to developing sustainable agriculture for Hanoi.

Thank you for your time!