Seek expert advice on pesticide use

Vegetable farmers have been cautioned to seek expert advice on the use of pesticides to reduce  health hazards to consumers.

Efo Kofi Kumah Ameyibor, the Operations Manager of Green Shield Agro-Chemicals Ltd, distributors and retailers of agro-chemicals in the Volta Region, told the Daily Graphic at Hohoe that some consumers of vegetables were exposed to health hazards due to the improper use of pesticides by some vegetable farmers.

He recalled the tragic incidence in Tamale in the Northern Region last year when a family of eight died after eating cooked beans contaminated with Atrazine.

Efo Ameyibor explained that using Atrazine, a weedicide for maize with a pre-harvest interval (PHI) of about 30 days,  as a storage pesticide was due to the ignorance of the farmer.

"The actual pesticide which should have been used as storage pesticide is Hocklicombe," he said.

"The incidence in Tamale underscores the fact that secure storage of pesticides and safe disposal of empty containers are risk - reduction measures which are just as crucial as wearing proper protective masks and clothing," he added

Efo Ameyibor said in the quest by some vegetable farmers to destroy pests, they resorted to mixing different varieties of pesticides to attain the potency they felt was required and pointed out that most of them did not know the PHI of the pesticides, a development which poses health hazards to consumers.

He explained further that pesticides had different PHI ranging from a week to three months or even more, so whereas they eventually eliminated the pests and insects, incorrect application affected the health of consumers. "When mixed without caution, the farmer will achieve his aim by killing or driving away the pests but the consumer will pay for it with his or her health," he said.

Because safety and quality are what matter most, Green Shield sponsors a bi-weekly two-hour farmers forum programme on the Lolornyo FM station on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which educates farmers on the best practices in the usage of pesticides since their improper use poses a serious threat to human health and the environment.

By Emmanuel Modey/Daily Graphic/Ghana