Agro chemicals: Experts raise concern over food safety

Agricultural and health experts at different fora have continued to raise concern over the application of banned agro chemicals in the nation’s food production sector. Some of the banned agro chemicals that are still being used in the agricultural sector include toxaphene, aldrin, enderin, chordane, captafol and DDT, binapacryl, chlordimeform, DDT, dieldrin, dinoseb, ethylene dichloride, […]

Agricultural and health experts at different fora have continued to raise concern over the application of banned agro chemicals in the nation’s food production sector.
Some of the banned agro chemicals that are still being used in the agricultural sector include toxaphene, aldrin, enderin, chordane, captafol and DDT, binapacryl, chlordimeform, DDT, dieldrin, dinoseb, ethylene dichloride, heptaclor and lindane.
Others are parathion, phosphamidon, monocroptophos, thamidophos, chlorobenzilate, toxaphene, endrin, merix endosulphan, Delta HCH and ethylene oxide.
The continued use of these agro chemicals in the country’s agricultural sector to control weeds and pests is serious cause for worry for many stakeholders as the country’s crops and vegetables are increasingly being rejected in the international market because of their presence.
Former minister of Trade and Investments, Segun Aganga, recently raised alarm in Lagos over the rejection of 103 Nigerian agro products for safety reasons. The products are said to contain high aflatoxin, mycotoxin and agro chemical residues.
Mr. Sule Oyofo of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in a press statement recently stated that investigation was carried out in Lagos, Enugu, Osun, Benue and Katsina states, and that the exercise revealed the presence of banned pesticides in most of the markets visited.
“Investigation showed improper handling of agro chemicals by the traders