Many people want to eat rice grown with compost such as the excrement from livestock because they believe that it is a healthier way of farming.

There is a common belief that many farmers in Laos are now using chemicals for growing their rice and they’re afraid that it could be a danger for them when eating rice which is not grown organically.

An official from Champassak provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department Khamphan Inthapaseud told Vientiane Times last week that all of the hectares of rice fields in the province are using chemical fertilisers.

“It’s hard to grow crops using waste from animals such as buffaloes because one hectare of rice plantation needs about five tonnes of livestock dung,” he explained. Scores of people have yet to understand that chemical fertilisers for growing crops are safe for consumption, Khamphan added.

Most rice producing countries especially among Aseanmembers are utilising chemical fertilisers to improve the quality of the soil.

There is not enough livestock dung in Champassak province to make the compost to support growing organic crops because the livestock herds are not big enough.

At present, farmers use two sacks of chemical fertilisers, each weighing 100kg, which is adequate for one hectare of rice plantation. Large quantities of fertiliser are sold in local agricultural markets.

The sorts of chemical fertilisers used for rice crops are not dangerous for people to consume but people have yet to understand, Khamphan said.

However other chemicals continue to contaminate the soil and water for many years after being sprayed.

Herbicides kill grass and weeds but can also kill insects and animals. It’s very easy to get rid of weeds this way.

But people worry about the use of insecticides and herbicides because these chemicals can harm people’s health. That’s why the authorities are warning everyone to avoid using chemicals to get rid of weeds.

A good way to protect one’s health, and also the environment, is to use alternative methods to clear land, such as slashing with a knife or using a hoe, traditional methods used by Lao farmers for hundreds of years.