NAFDAC moves to sanitise agro-chemicals market

The National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for mandatory listing of agro-chemical dealers in the country with the view to curbing the influx of fake and substandard agro-chemicals and other farm inputs into the market.

The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call in Kano on Tuesday while delivering the keynote address at the sensitization workshop organized to enlighten agro-chemical dealers in the state on safe and responsible use of Crop Protection Products (CPP).

Represented by the agency’s Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Director, Dr Bukar Ali Usman, the NAFDAC DG decried the circulation of counterfeit and substandard agro-chemicals across the country which she claimed was occasioned by the drive to maximize profit by some unscrupulous entities in the current demand to produce more food for the country’s population.

“As the demand for food becomes ever greater, the profit to be made by unscrupulous manufacturers, importers and dealers in fake agro-chemicals also increases. The neglect of good manufacturing practices or warehousing practices both accidental and deliberate drives the circulation of substandard CPP.

She also warned the public to desist from indiscriminate use of insecticides for indoor purposes, emphasizing that only insecticides meant for indoor purposes should be used.

“In recent times, the agency has observed and received complaints from concerned citizens on misuse, abuse, presence of counterfeit substandard and fake pesticides in the country which has impacted negatively in the wellbeing of human and agricultural produce, trade and environment. This has become cause of concern for NAFDAC and quite troubling are the health hazards these pesticides could pose to people.

“Due to injudicious and indiscriminate use of some pesticides many accidents have occurred in different parts of the country, and the presence of pesticides in foods, fruits, vegetables and environment and its use as a suicide tool by youths and vulnerable persons is of great concern to NAFDAC,” she added.