June 4, 2021
Bayer Crop Science will be implementing a pilot project in selected agricultural towns aimed at making personal protective equipment (PPE) available for farmers when applying crop protection products in their fields.
The project, which will be implemented in vegetable-producing municipalities of Buguias
and La Trinidad in Benguet, and the rice areas of Bayambang, Pangasinan and Concepcion, Tarlac, aims to offer a Safety Kit. This package will be composed of 2 filter face masks, a pair of nitrile gloves, and goggles.
While Filipino farmers seeking good yields ensure that their crops are protected from
insect pests and diseases, most farmers do not use the complete recommended PPE at
the time when spraying is necessary.
Based on a survey conducted by Bayer, only 6 out of 10 farmers wear a face mask when preparing and applying crop protection products.
Among those who do sport them, they use the surgical mask type, which is not recommended as it doesn’t protect the farmer from potential inhalation of the product due to dispersal and wind changes.
Farmer dons complete Personal Protective Equipment for his health protection while spraying pesticides
“The right face mask when spraying crop protection products are those with a filter, ideally
FFP2 type,” said David Cristobal, Regulatory Stewardship and Compliance Lead for
Bayer Crop Science.
“FFP2 masks have three layers of synthetic non-woven materials with the inclusion of filtration layers between, and they provide sufficient protection for farmers.”
In addition to low and incorrect mask use in the survey, only 10% of farmers use googles
when spraying crop protection products, while 60% use surgical gloves, which is also not
the right material to shield the farmers’ hands.
“As part of our stewardship efforts, we make it a point to train farmers on the proper
application of crop protection products, which includes wearing full PPE when spraying,”
said Iiinas Ivan Lao, Country Commercial Lead for Bayer Crop Science. “A complete PPE
set is comprised of boots, long sleeved shirts & trousers, nitrile gloves, filter mask, and
goggles.”
While nearly all farmers said that PPE is important to protect themselves from any harm,
some reasons why they chose not to wear them include the cost, unavailability, and lack
of comfort.
From the pilot project, Bayer will be selling the Safety Kit through selected distributors in
the 4 municipalities with the objective of gauging farmer adoption of the PPE and
generating insights from the initiative. The farmer also has the option to purchase
individual items instead of the entire kit.
“We’re hoping that this project can solve some of the concerns of farmers on low and
wrong PPE usage, and that this will help sustain their health as they continue to provide
food for all of us,” said Lao.
Growth Features 