A Thai farmer enjoys her day in the rice field in Ang Thong province. (Photo credit: GIZ Thailand) Bangkok (VNA) – The Ministry of Agriculture of Thailand is preparingto move 13 herbs and spices local farmers use as green pesticides into a lowertoxicity classification in a bid to promote green agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture wants the Hazardous Substances Control Bureau toput the 13 herbs in the Type 1 tier, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted DeputyMinister of Agriculture Mananya Thaiset as saying on July 13.
These 13 herbs were moved to the more tightly controlled Type 2 level in 2013from their original classification as Type 1 in 2009. Before that, localfarmers had used these herbs freely as natural weed and pest control.
These 13 herbs are neem, tea/tea seed cake, galangal, ginger, turmeric,citronella grass, Siam weed, marigold, chilli, celery, ringworm bush, flamelily and Stemona collinsiae.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Manaya said the changeis aimed at making natural insecticides more convenient to use.
Farmers can benefit from thechange as they can now extract the chemicals they need from the plants to makenatural insecticides and herbicides freely and do not have to ask forpermission first/.
VNA
