GENERAL SANTOS CITY | JULY 18, 2022 – To educate the farmers on the use of agricultural pesticide inputs, South Cotabato FPA-Provincial Officer (PO) Jennie M. Basilio conducted a lecture on Proper Safe Use, Handling, and Storage of Agricultural Pesticides to sixteen (16) corn farmers from General Santos City and Sarangani Province on July 13, 2022. 

PO Basilio emphasized in her lecture the health risk associated with pesticide residues in food. “Pesticides are toxic,” she stressed. 

To minimize these health risks, she tackled the Pesticide Management Guidelines for the Safe and Effective Use of Pesticides which include:

• using of FPA registered products from FPA registered outlets/establishments
• importance of reading, understanding, and following the directions found on the product label
• wearing of proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs)
• triple rinsing of empty pesticide containers after use
• recording of farm activities, fertilizer, and pesticide usage and applications, and the product used

Moreover, to prevent residues in vegetables and fruits, Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI) and the right dosage, which contained in the pesticide label, must be observed. PHI is the minimum time between the last pesticide application and when the crop can be harvested. 

The activity was conducted in coordination with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office XII-Regulatory Division during the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) for corn training at Venue 88, Mabuhay, General Santos City. ###