netNatter

Saturday, November 06, 2004

India's latest pesticide: Coca Cola

Indian farmers have come up with a new special pesticide, Coca-Cola, which they think is the real thing to keep crops free of bugs.

Instead of paying hefty fees to international chemical companies for patented pesticides, they are reportedly spraying their cotton and chilly fields with Coke. One liter of highly concentrated Avant, Tracer and Nuvocron, three popular Indian pesticides, costs around 10,000 rupees ($220), but one-and-a-half liters of locally made Coca-Cola is 30 rupees (60 cents). To spray an acre would be a mere $6.

Here's are some theories as to why it works:

"He says the drinks are effectively sugar syrups and when they are poured on crops they attract ants which in turn feed on the larva of insects."

"All that is happening is that plants get a direct supply of carbohydrates and sugar which in turn boosts the plants' immunity and the plantation on the whole ends up yielding a better crop."

posted by Kaushik at 10:52 AM Comment (0)

Comments
Post a Comment