Herbicide kill 4 farmers in Kasy district

(KPL) Four farmers in Kasy district of Vientiane province died of herbicide.
Using the herbicide in agriculture in Vientiane province has become a dangerous activity for farmers as they tended to be negligent on the precautionary measures during the course of its application to the plants.
Mr Soulisack Asakitthikoun, chief of Kasy district said, “We now know the reason for the death of the four farmers but this was an accident that was bound to happen and this can be clearly seen when one enters the agricultural areas of the province and scrutinise the usage of herbicide by the farmers.”
They were not using the chemicals according to the instructions written on the label of the containers and some of them were illiterate, added the Kasy district chief.
Farming was the main occupation of the people of Kasy. They grow vegetables, oranges, bananas, rice and other cash crops for their own consumption and for sale.
Dr Khamsing Duangpanya, Head of the Public Health Office of Kasy district, confirmed that the four people died of herbicide poisoning. They were from the Nasaikhao, Kerosome and Phatam villages of Kasy district.
The Public Health Office of this district responded to this incident by issuing two instructions: banning the usage of herbicide and the consumption of any fruit and vegetable that had been sprayed with herbicide.
According to a source, Kasy district officials are planning to organise training courses for local farmers on the proper usage of herbicide and they are determined to see that there would not be another victim of herbicide poisoning.

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