Federal Govt To Develop Framework On Agro-chemical, Pesticide Control 

The federal ministry of agriculture and rural development yesterday said is working with the relevant house committee on agriculture to develop framework to tidy up the agro-chemical and pesticide business in Nigeria.

The ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Ernest Umakhihe stated this in Abuja at the stakeholders’ workshop on agro-chemicals (plant pesticide) handling, marketing, and distribution in the country.

The theme of the workshop which focus on, “Agrochemicals importation, production, marketing and distribution in Nigeria” is aimed to safeguard humanity and the environment in line with global best practices.

Dr Umakhihe who was represented by deputy director of input use and agro farm input support services department, Ishaku Buba, said the increase in land under cultivation in the country has been attributed significantly to the use of an agrochemical.

He said, “Some banned products from use in other parts of the world particularly the European Union have found their way into the Nigeria market due to the absence of a legal framework to curtail the influx and marketing of such banned products.

Despite the importation contribution of the product, some fabrics of the society has devised of adulterating the products thereby causing a lot of economic loss to both end-users farmers and the genuine entrepreneurs”.

Director of farm inputs support services department, Engnr Tunde Adebayo Bello explained that agricultural production in Nigeria faces significant losses due to activities of pets, inset infection, and other diseases.

He said the country’s agricultural space is predominantly dominated by peasant farmers who are lacking knowledge about the use of farm input particularly agro-chemicals to drive the maximum benefits.