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in the lower price categories tend to be unsafe because they are easily dented
and corroded and are thus too prone to leaking.
Improving local production of sprayers
The continued production of poor-quality sprayers in developing Asian countries
cannot be blamed solely on the profit motive of the manufacturers. The
lack of incentives for local manufacturers to produce good-quality knapsack
sprayers, the attitudes of farmers, and the lack of government standards are
equally responsible.
There are few economic incentives for local manufacturers to improve quality
In Malaysia, for example, local manufacturers, who produce about 300 000
sprayers annually, have virtually no foreign competition. Even though their
sprayers are inferior to imported models in quality and safety, the overwhelming
majority of farmers choose to buy cheaper, locally produced sprayers. Any
improvement would merely add to the cost of production without arty market
advantage. Moreover, improvements of certain components of the sprayer
system can involve producing an entirely new model. This may require
changes in manufacturing equipment and possibly retraining workers, which
may result in an initial decrease in the efficiency of production.
On the demand side, farmers' poor appreciation of good quality and safety
features also discourages improvement. In Malaysia, farmers and plantation
workers pay little attention to the proper use of pesticides especially with
regards to safety (Zain 1977; Zam 1980; Basri 1981; Heong 1982; Normiya 1982;
Ooi et al. 1983; Heong et al. 1985, 1987; Hussein et al. 1985; Anas et al. 1987;
Jusoh Mamat et al. 1987; Anon. 1990). Consequently, they fail to recognize or
avoid sprayers with poor safety features. As long as the sprayers function
cheaply, they will use them without concern for their own health and safety.
Such attitudes cause complacency among local manufacturers about the quality
of their sprayers.
The lack of national product standards for knapsack sprayers also contributes
to the continued production of unsafe sprayers. In most Asian developing
countries, monitoring quality or standardized testing of locally produced
machines and equipment is left almost entirely to manufacturers. Generally,
governments have made little effort to establish standards or enforce them.
In Malaysia, a positive step has been taken with the establishment of the
Standard and Industrial Research Institute (SIRIM). Its role is to produce
standards and approve products that conform. However, SIRIM has no authority
to enforce these regulations, and even the product approval scheme has
not yet been implemented for knapsack sprayers. Without such a scheme, local
manufacturers have no incentive to alter their products to meet minimum
safety standards.
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