Experts in the country’s agricultural sector on Saturday called for more research to combat pests destroying up to 30% of crops annually in Bangladesh.
They also highlighted that climate change helps pests spread faster and threaten food security at an international conference titled "Five Decades of Entomological Research and Development and Future Planning to Address Emerging Challenges", hosted by the Bangladesh Entomological Society at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council in Dhaka.
Debashish Sarkar, president of the society and director general of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, chaired the opening ceremony, with Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar, executive chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, as a notable guest.
"Excessive use of pesticides leads to health risks, environmental pollution, destruction of biodiversity, and development of pesticide resistance," said Syed Nurul Alam, former president of Bangladesh Entomological Society and senior consultant at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.
His paper reveals a decrease in pesticide use by 19% in 2021-22 compared to 2009-10 and attributed the credit to government initiatives against indiscriminate pesticide application. Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council Dr Sheikh Mohammad Bakhtiar urged entomologists to intensify their research efforts to develop new pest control technologies to reduce the food security risks of climate change. Speakers at the conference said the negative impact of climate change is causing a rapid expansion of pests worldwide. General Secretary of the society Professor M Ruhul Amin gave the welcome speech at the opening ceremony.