Adulterated pest chemicals flood Taraba markets

Farmers in Taraba State are losing money to adulterated pest and weeds chemicals.

Daily Trust on Sunday finding revealed that many farmers repeated the application of pest and weed control chemicals to their farmers without desired results.

A large-scale farmer, Musa Garba, told our reporter that he applied weed control chemicals in preparation of his farm for planting but he had to buy another chemical and sprayed it again before getting the desired result.

He lamented that despite the cost of the chemicals, most of them in circulation in rural markets across the state are adulterated.

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Musa Garba said a litre of weed chemical which sold last year for N2,000 now cost N5,000 and to the disappointment of farmers, most of the chemicals are fake.

Another farmer, Yakubu Hudu, told our reporter that farmers relied more on chemicals to weed off grasses and control pests on their farms but those in the business of agro chemicals are cheating through supply of fake and adulterated chemicals.

According to him, cases of fake and adulterated chemicals is very common across the state this cropping season and there’s no one to hold responsible.

“Those that sold the chemicals are traders we have been buying the chemicals from over the years and they said that they bought the chemicals from major dealers in Jalingo,” he said.

Similarly, those that sprayed their Benniseed and melon seed farms to control pests also complained that they did not get good result and they had to repeat the spray.

One of them Bello Saidu corroborated the circulation of fake and adulterated chemical this farming.

Engineer Yahaya Mafindi also complained that the chemicals despite being adulterated or fake were expensive.

According to him, it is easier to farm when a farmer weeds off grasses in his farm before planting than to engage labourers.

He, however, said that those in the agro business sector take advantage of high demand of the chemicals by farmers to exploit them by supplying fake and adulterated ones.

“It is difficult to differentiate between the adulterated and genuine products because they have the same labels and containers but when it is applied, it fails to give the desire results,” he said.

However, some major dealers in Jalingo denied supplying fake or adulterated chemicals to their agents who sell the chemicals in the rural markets.

One of the dealers who will not like his name mentioned told our reporter that he heard such complaints but it was not an arranged thing, adding that it is very difficult to trace the source of such adulterated chemicals.