Enugu- The Director General of National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Lawrence Anukam, has warned of the danger of pesticide abuse to individuals and the country.
Anukam gave the warning in Enugu on Wednesday at a one-day workshop organised by NESREA with the support of the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) tagged “Pesticide Management“.
He said that experts in the agricultural sector had noticed the gradual decline in the quantity and quality of agricultural yields in Africa and Nigeria in the last decade.
“Experts have attributed this to various factors, including the use of sub-standard and obsolete pesticides.
“They also expressed the fear of the spread of hazardous and carcinogenic substances into the environment through improper handling and use of agricultural chemicals.
“Pesticides such as endosulfan, DDT and aldrin, among others, are no doubt very effective for pest control and are widely used to control pests.
“However, due to their non-specific nature, they can negatively impact on the environment and human health,” he said.
On his part, the Deputy Director of NESREA, Mr Abdusalam Isa, said that Nigeria had banned 28 chemical pesticides because of their persistent hazardous nature.
He also urged farmers and other users of pesticide chemicals to always dispose of the containers to avoid contamination with children.
Isah said that the government has evolved appropriate institutions and regulatory mechanism to control the use of banned pesticides.
He said that methods used to control such banned pesticides were “by means of continued awareness creation and sensitisation campaign, carrying out routine checks and collaboration with relevant stakeholders”.
Also speaking, Mr Emmanuel Aneke of Dizengoff West Africa the people to be careful with pesticides.
He called for proper study of the product label for effective yield and to avoid hazardous effects.
Mrs Chinyere Eze from Center for Environmental Management and Control at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said in a lecture on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that one of the best ways to control pest was through crop rotation.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“Adjusting the planting time can also help to control pest, switching from monoculture to modernised agriculture is also a means of controlling pest.
“Although pest cannot be totally eradicated, it can be controlled to a minimum level.
“IPM provides negative implication on the use of pesticide and should be mostly monitored to ensure proper control,” she said. (NAN)