Towards green, sustainable agriculture
As we have mentioned, in recent times, localities have implemented many solutions to handle hazardous waste from agricultural production activities, including pesticide packaging after use. However, the collection and treatment of this hazardous waste is still limited, not thoroughly and synchronously implemented, affecting the environment, so it requires drastic participation of all levels, sectors, and the joint efforts of the people to protect the green, clean, and beautiful rural environment, for green and sustainable agriculture.
Khuân tea village, Son Hung commune, Thanh Son district focuses on measures to ensure biological safety, contributing to environmental protection.
There are still many difficulties and problems
In the collection stage, although attention has been paid to implementation, both regulations and reality have not met the requirements. According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, each year the province uses about 100 tons of pesticides, the number of packages generated after use is about 5 tons. To store these packages, 18,000 tanks are needed. At the same time, the construction and installation of storage tanks must also be carried out in accordance with regulations and instructions on specifications and locations.
Specifically, the tank capacity is about 0.5 - 1m3, with a tight lid. The tank lid is sturdy, not moved by wind or rain, and is at least 5cm wider than the tank wall to prevent rainwater from flowing in; the vertical side of the tank has a small window near the lid that can be opened and closed easily, the tank has a suitable height to prevent flood water from flowing inside.
Regarding the installation location and number of tanks, there must be at least 1 tank per 3 hectares of annual crop land or 10 hectares of perennial crop land using pesticides. However, the whole province currently has over 7,600 tanks for pesticide packaging, which only meets 35% of the required number of tanks. In the long term, it is still necessary to focus on building and installing additional tanks to store used pesticide packaging according to regulations.
After installation, the tanks will be handed over to local authorities for management and use. In fact, the implementation in localities is not really strict. Since 2017, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and localities have built new, supplemented, and replaced nearly 5,300 substandard tanks and handed them over to local authorities for use and management.
However, there are still nearly 100 substandard tanks, partly due to ineffective management and use, leading to tanks being degraded, broken, cracked, and missing lids... In 2023 alone, the whole province will reduce 40 tanks due to not meeting specifications and being unusable.
In addition, although propaganda and dissemination work has been strengthened, there is still a situation where people indiscriminately dump pesticide shells in fields and canals, affecting the soil and water environment. The situation of "overloading" storage tanks, reducing collection efficiency, and increasing treatment costs still occurs.
Joint Circular 05 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment clearly stipulates: Collected pesticide packaging must be transferred to a unit with appropriate functions and capacity for treatment according to regulations on hazardous waste management. It is necessary to further understand that treatment of used pesticide packaging is an important content specified in criterion No. 17 on Environment and food safety in the National Criteria for New Rural Communes for the period 2021 - 2025.
According to this criterion, the rate of used pesticide packaging collected and treated to meet environmental protection requirements is 100% in all regions across the country. However, in reality, treatment is difficult due to specific regulations requiring high costs, while the funding source proactively arranged by localities is limited.
According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the amount of used pesticide packaging collected by the end of 2023 is estimated at more than 22 tons, but only nearly 40% has been treated and destroyed according to regulations. "Stuck" in the process of treating used pesticide packaging, when the tanks are full, many localities have "improvised" by... burying or burning, affecting the environment and people's health.
According to Mr. Nguyen Vinh An - Head of the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, transporting pesticide packaging requires specialized vehicles and a business license to avoid secondary pollution. If burned in a furnace according to the correct standards, it will cost about 40 - 50 million VND/ton. Currently, the province has 2 units qualified to collect, transport and treat hazardous waste in operation, ensuring treatment of about 99.6%. In the whole province, only 3 districts: Lam Thao, Doan Hung, Thanh Ba have arranged funds and signed contracts with units qualified to transport and treat used pesticide packaging according to regulations. However, only a part of the treatment has been done because the funding allocated each year has not met the actual workload requirements.
Plant protection drug trading establishments in the province are interested in supplying biological pesticides, contributing to building a safe environment.
Focus on dismantling and thoroughly treating after collection
The lack of tanks as prescribed, the actual demand, and the lack of a thorough treatment solution after collection have been and are still problems that need to be solved by many localities in the province. To protect the clean and safe field environment, and gradually achieve the goal of green and sustainable agriculture, each level, sector, organization, and individual needs to clearly understand and comply with the provisions of the law, and raise their sense of responsibility to the community.
Localities need to continue to arrange, invest, and increase funding and equipment for management work such as: Investing in building new tanks and warehouses for storing used pesticide packaging; specialized collection vehicles for transporting pesticide packaging from collection areas to temporary storage facilities and arranging funding for handling annual pesticide packaging. Regularly collect and handle used pesticide packaging through socialized activities to encourage people's participation.
Comrade Tran Tu Anh - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development affirmed: The collection of used pesticide packaging must be carried out on a mandatory basis, in which the State's management role is key, the participation of the people is decisive, there must be an individual or organization responsible for collection, there must be a clear contract and regulations... Specify the specific responsibilities of each unit, organization from the provincial, district, commune and community levels in the management of pesticide packaging. At the same time, build a financial mechanism combining budget funds with mobilizing community contributions in the collection, gathering and treatment of pesticide packaging.
Ensure that those who collect used pesticide packaging also enjoy the same benefits and rights as other workers, moving towards professional management of pesticide packaging. Above all, the State needs to study and improve the responsibility of pesticide production and import units, and have a mechanism through tax policies to reduce the burden on the budget.
Along with that, agricultural production models applying high technology, limiting hazardous waste emissions in agricultural production need to be encouraged, with favorable mechanisms to maintain and replicate. In particular, localities need to strongly implement the use of biological pesticides because this solution not only protects the living environment but in the future can propose convenient treatment methods, simple processes, and lower costs.
The process of handling used pesticide packaging has been established, however, to handle it properly and thoroughly, it is necessary to implement it synchronously among all levels, sectors and localities, in which it is necessary to specify the responsibilities of agencies, organizations and individuals at each stage of the process. The collection and handling of used pesticide packaging can be classified as a public service, serving the basic and essential needs of the people, for the common benefit of society, so the State and authorities at all levels play a decisive role in the method of supply to ensure stability and efficiency. In addition, it is very necessary to have the self-awareness of pesticide users to protect their own health, that of their loved ones and the living environment...
Economic Reporter Group
Source: https://baophutho.vn/ky-ii-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung-217529.htm
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