Ghanaians cautioned about misuse of pesticide

The Presbyterian Agricultural Services has raised concerns about the increasing rate at which pesticides and other agrochemicals were poisoning people causing 14 percent of occupational injuries in the agricultural sector.

It said even though Government might want to increase food security by introducing agrochemicals into farming to enhance yield, the effects of these chemicals were more injurious and deadly.

The Presbyterian Church said the World Health Organization estimates that 1-5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occurs every year resulting in 20,000 fatalities among agricultural workers most of who were in the developing countries such as Ghana.

Mr Dan Kolbila, National Agriculture Coordinator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, raised these concerns in Tamale on Thursday during the launch of a campaign dubbed: “Misuse of pesticides in Ghana, the time to act is now”.

He said owing to the serious consequences associated with the misuse of chemicals, there was the need for all stakeholders to have a collective effort at addressing the situation before the country reaches a crisis situation.

Mr Sylvester Adongo, a Retired Agriculturalist said agro-chemicals misuse was responsible for most of the male impotence in most of the farming communities in the country adding that most of the farmers misapplied the agro-chemicals meant to kill pest which however turn destroy their own reproductive system.

He said it was sad that most of the chemicals were being tasted by most farmers to determine its potency adding that by so doing they end up harming themselves.

Mr. Adongo noted that even though the use of ‘DDT’, a poisonous chemical, had been banned in the country most fishermen and hunters still used the chemical in hunting and for fishing, after whicgh they sold the meat to consumers. He warned members of the public to be careful of the meat they consumed else they might be eating poison.

Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, the Northern Regional Minister, said he was very worried with the recent cases of food poisoning that occurred in some parts of the region cautioning that farmers must be careful when applying their chemicals.

The Minister called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory bodies to institute measure that would enable them to monitor and ensure that the recurrent incidents of food poisoning was reduced to the barest minimal.

Mr. Christoper Y. Akai of the Northern Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture said the Region’s use of chemicals had increased from 1,822 metric tons in 2009 to 2,130 metric tons in 2010, with 2,248 metric tons used so far in 2011.