Lawmaker warns against chemical farming methods

A LAWMAKER over the weekend said chemical farming not only causes ecological imbalances such as pollution and soil erosion but also poses a threat to human lives.

“Nitrates from fertilizers have been found to cause cancer, birth defects and genetic changes in men,” said Rep. Catalina Bagasina of the Association of Laborers and Employees (ALE) party-list.

Bagasina said there is a need to reexamine the country’s rice production program, which is based on a technology that is overly dependent on chemical fertilizers and insecticides.

The government should gear its production research to the breeding of fertilizer-independent varieties or seek the large-scale propagation of natural fertilizers such as azzola, Bagasina said.

According to Bagasina, when chemical farm inputs such as fertil- izers and pesticides are applied in prolonged, massive doses, organic substances and other living matters teaming within the soil die.

The lawmaker said that chemical farming, by its nature, feeds the plant but does not nurture the soil.

“While the importation of chemical fertilizers is draining our dollar reserves, chemical farming has become a vicious cycle that must be stopped if we are to succeed in our all out efforts to increase productivity,” Bagasina said.

“This will not only save precious dollars for our country but also stop the multinational companies from making the Philippines a dumping ground for their poisonous products which do not only harm human beings but also kill frogs and insects that prey on plants’ pests,” she added.