[HONG KONG] Rice farmers in China and South-East Asia are neglecting to adopt new pest-resistant cultivars, preferring to rely on excessive use of insecticide to combat pests, according to a leading rice scientist.
[HONG KONG] Rice farmers in China and South-East Asia are neglecting to adopt new pest-resistant cultivars, preferring to rely on excessive use of insecticide to combat pests, according to a leading rice scientist.
This has led to outbreaks of pests and disease in rice, affecting thousands of farmers, mainly in China, Indonesia and Thailand, K. L. Heong, a senior scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in the Philippines, told SciDev.Net.
Heong was speaking following his presentation at the Forum for Agricultural Risk Management in Development’s (FARMD) annual conference, held last month (17–18 October) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
See full article at www.scidev.net.
