Monday, October 21, 2002
Daily Times (Karachi?)
Employing homeopathy for plant protection
For the first time in the history of agricultural research, homeopathic pesticides/insecticides have been introduced as a potent tool for plant protection. A Pakistani Homoeopath Dr Iftikhar Waris (DIW) has invented a pesticide or insecticide while staying inside the sphere of Homoeopathy.
In a detailed talk with Daily Times, Dr Waris highlighted his research work and claimed that it had already been proved that proper implementation of his research findings could bring the real `Green Revolution’ in Pakistan.
DT: How is your invention different from the available pesticides or insecticides?
DIW: My invention is different from others in many ways. Some of its salient features are:
1) It has zero pollution factor
2) The efficacy of this Homoeopathic insecticide or pesticide is 99.9 percent
3) There is no precaution needed in use of these pesticides and they are environment-friendly
4) These are 60 to 70 per cent cheaper as compared to the imported or local pesticides/insecticides
5) Its use does not alter the chemistry of the soil to lethal point
6) It is not harmful for friendly birds and animals
7) The residual of the crop can be used to feed animals
DT: Can you substantiate your claims with proof?
DIW: Yes, I definitely can. The efficacy of Homoeopathic pesticides, their low price, environment-friendly nature and other characteristics have been verified in experimentation process spread over three years. However, the demand of certain quarters to measure or analyze them as per the parameters of chemical pesticides is entirely wrong.
The development of homoeopathic is an invention and throughout the world no other country has been able to match the feat. For an invention, you have to choose a new and unique parameter to judge its efficacy and mode of action. I can only say that we are using the dynamic power of plants or herbs to make a homoeopathic pesticide or insecticide.
DT: Did you treat the seed too?
DIW: Yes, a team of our researchers experimented on seed as well. The seed preparation or treatment proved excellent in controlling all the diseases of cotton crop for 60 to 90 days. We are also administering a successful insecticide for spotted bollworm, American bollworm and viral infected cotton crop.
DT: In which region of Pakistan did you test your products?
DIW: We have carried out our experiments in different areas of the country but our major emphasis has been on the cotton growing areas. Punjab Seed Corporation, Vehari Adoptive Research Institute, Agricultural University, Faisalabad, and Multan Cotton Research Institute have been our close partners and the four deputy directors heading them have cooperated a lot with me. They have lent me a helping hand to carry out all my experiments on the cotton crop in their respective centers. This year also, they have given me permission to carry out experiments in their centers and I will definitely be cashing on this opportunity.
DT: How is your product free of adverse effects, especially those which can change the chemistry of the soil?
DIW: Unlike chemical pesticides, which are liable to cause residual effects on the soil, homoeopathic pesticides are free of adverse effects. Chemical pesticides are increasing their concentration in the soil day by day and a very careful and accurate estimate says that in most cases the concentration of pesticides was more than 10 parts per million (PPM) of the reaped crop by net weight. It is an alarming situation, which is supposed to show its toxic effects after at least 15 years.
After this period of time when the users of such crops will be infected with unidentifiable diseases, it will be very difficult for doctors to treat them. Most commonly such hazardous effects are incurable. I do believe that Hepatitis (all types) is one of the gifts of the uncontrolled use of such pesticides or insecticides. A survey on Hepatitis B says that our 10 percent population is infected with this horrible disease. Out of the whole, only two percent people are found to be infected due to blood transfusion or some contact with patients whereas the remaining 98 percent have different disease histories.
DT: You have always condemned the use of chemical pesticides. What are your apprehensions regarding them?
DIW: The commonly used chemical pesticides are extremely harmful as unidentified compounds are released during their organic degrading. These compounds are released in the atmosphere and reach the ozone layer in the sky. They also rupture this layer which results in the spread of skin diseases, including the skin cancer.
Furthermore, pesticides are toxic to many forms of life in addition to the species which need to be controlled. Honeybees and useful predatory insects such as ladybugs can be killed outright when the pesticide are applied. Pesticide residues can accumulate in the food chain, causing damage to birds, fish and other forms of animal life. In many cases, these side effects are not apparent in the early stages but are shown later; for example, in the abnormal eggs laid by birds that have fed on pesticide-treated insects. Ultimately some side effects may extend to human life as well.
Using a pesticide can be compared to taking a prescription drug and its benefits must be weighed against its side effects. Pesticides alleviate symptoms but do not provide a cure. In fact, extensive use of pesticides in agriculture has led to the development of genetically resistant insects and weed species that are no longer affected by some commonly used pesticides.
DT: Have you faced any problems during your journey to success?
DIW: Yes, there were a number of problems which we had to confront over all these years of hard work. However, the most recent one is regarding the recognition and registration of these pesticides with the concerned departments. I can’t understand why the concerned departments are not ready to accept such a marvelous invention. I don’t know what they are behaving like but I know it is very difficult to make them understand that I am working for the country, for the nation and not for myself. I have spent all my earnings on carrying out these experiments and it is a reality that a multi-national company has offered me to work for it. I refused to work for any country but Pakistan.
I have an open question for all the concerned authorities. Do they want to help me in this invention or the invention will go in vain? My point is that if a homeopathic pesticide or insecticide works equally well, rather better than a chemical insecticide or pesticide, why do not they take a chance and save foreign exchange worth billions of rupees.
DT: Do you have any comparison report validating your claims?
DIW: Yes, I have more than one report to validate my claims. For review you can check our first year report in which the experiment was conducted on cotton crop at A R Farm, Rahim Yar Khan, back in 1999. We have widened our range throughout Pakistan during 2001-2002. Worth mentioning here is that we are not ourselves assessing our success rate but waiting for the reports from the Central Cotton Research Committee (CCRC) Multan, CCRC Institute Nawab Shah, Ayub Agricultural Research Center, Faislabad, and Nayab Research Institute, Faisalabad.