COTROL USE OF AGRO-CHEMICALS (MARCH 24, 2010)

THE revelation that some food crop farmers are using unapproved and fake agro-chemicals on their farms raises some serious concerns that must urgently be addressed.
The DAILY GRAPHIC definitely shares the concerns of Conservation Alliance and wishes to identify itself with the call for the appropriate state agencies and stakeholders to evaluate the current usage of agro-chemicals and the regulatory framework on the responsible use of agro-chemicals.
Inasmuch as the country wishes to improve agricultural production through the use of these chemicals, it is important to ensure that our farmers do not descend into such a mess and engage in acts that threaten the very lives they seek to improve with the cultivation of food crops.
There is no question about the important role agriculture has played in the growth of the Ghanaian economy over the years. Indeed, agriculture, for many years, has remained the backbone of the economy.
Therefore, any harm that is done to our agriculture will definitely have dire impact on the economy. In this particular instance, the health of Ghanaians, as well as the safety of the environment, is at stake.
Over the years, there have been concerns that agricultural production in the country has not seen a dramatic improvement because it has remained largely subsistence.
While it is always refreshing to hear of measures to improve mechanisation and also boost production levels using fertilisers, the DAILY GRAPHIC wishes to caution that there should be effective and efficient regulatory systems to ensure that the quest of our farmers to modernise their agricultural practices does not bring about other challenges.
The paper believes that the issues raised by Conservation Alliance cannot be dismissed as peripheral issues. They must be considered to be at the core of the development of agriculture in the country.
Again, this is not an issue that should be treated with the usual refrain, ‘Man must survive’, because no matter the intensity of the desire of the local farmer to succeed, the lives of innocent consumers cannot be sacrificed.
What is even more worrying are indications that some of the farmers are deliberately applying those chemicals in an unregulated manner and sometimes with the addition of banned substances such as DDT.
In the application of agro-chemicals, farmers need to bear in mind that some of the chemical do not break down easily and persist in the environment and in the plants long after they have served their intended purpose.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the relevant institutions to intensify the education of farmers on some of the implications of agro chemicals on food production.
The farmers need to be told in strong terms that such acts are not only inimical to the environment and patrons of their products but also their own lives.
Some time ago there were complaints about high levels of residues of agro-chemicals in some of our export crops and that revelation provided some anxious moments for our farmers.
Indeed, the country has worked hard to address those issues and our farmers cannot afford to draw us back.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, appeals to the relevant stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), to rise to the challenge and urgently address this bad practice.