Nigeria to promote greater agro-chemical use

For Alhaji Sule Haruma, a trained agro-input dealer in Nigeria, there has been a steady rise in the sale of his products due to the growing confidence of farmers. He is proud that he can impart his knowledge of the use of crop protection products which include pesticides, fungicides and herbicides to his customers.

It is not in doubt that the adoption and application of innovative methods of crop protection are vital components of modern agriculture. Mr Shola Obikanye, a sales agronomist with Patem Global Ltd, an agro-chemical marketing company, says increasing farm yields requires continuing improvement in agricultural technologies. “The right technology is inevitable if we are to minimise losses before and after harvest,” he says.

Dr Abba Ruma, the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, recently reinforced Obikanye’s view. “Thirty per cent of crop losses can be saved by using good quality pesticides,” he said, adding that the drudgery of weed control could be minimised through the use of appropriate herbicides.

To this end, he said government would promote the use of agro-chemicals in the pursuit of the food security agenda of President Umar Yar’ Adua administration. The government will grant credit facilities from “to accredited agro-chemical companies to increase the volume of imports.”

The minister said the companies would be expected to establish sales outlets in the rural areas. “Government will grant import tax relief to agro-chemical industries so as to scale down the prices of products for the benefit of farmers and also use young graduates as spray gangs.”

The use of school graduates is perhaps aimed at ensuring appropriate application of pesticides. Experts in the crop protection industry observe that the high rate of illiteracy among farmers has resulted in inappropriate handling and application of pesticides. This, they, say, poses a serious anger to the health and well being of farmers, their families, neigbours and the environment. According to them, many farmers have died due to undue exposure to and contamination from agro-chemicals.

“Due to illiteracy, they are unable to read labels on agro-chemicals and therefore handle them carelessly. Some use empty agro-chemical containers such as Gamalin 20 to put palm oil and even store drinking water. In some cases, the produce have a high residue of chemicals due to wrong application or overdose ,” says Emeka Chukwudili, an expert.

Illiteracy, which is directly related to poverty, accounts for the lack of capacity in the utilisation of modern technology. To prevent continued abuse of agro- chemicals, experts have harped on the need to build the capacity of farmers and agro-input dealers in the country.

According to statistics from the International Centre for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC), the number of input dealers in Nigeria averaged between 8,000 and 10,000. IFDC, established in 1974 to assist in the quest for global food security, is concerned about raising agricultural productivity. This is done through the development and transfer of effective environmentally sound plant nutrient technology and agricultural marketing expertise.

According to the IFDC Country Representative, Mr Scott Wallace, only 400 to 450 of such input dealers have received any formal training. “As a result, many of them know very little about the inputs and are not in any position to educate the farmers on the importance of safety measures in handing and application,” he says. To address the problem, the IFDC, since 2002, started training input dealers through its USAID-funded Development Agri-Input Markets in Nigeria (DAIMIN) project.

Under the project, private sector capacity building was initiated in 20 selected markets in Kano and Oyo States and later extended to another 20 markets in Bauchi and Abuja. The project has resulted in the development of a strong input supply chain such as the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association, and the amendment of the 1977 Fertiliser Board Act of 2004.

Furthermore, in November 2007, the IFDC initiated a training programme on the Responsible Use of Pesticides, which brought together representatives of the FCT Agro-Input Dealers Association. The objective of the training was to strengthen the technical knowledge and skills of the participants in responsible handling and application of crop protection products.

The topics discussed included the Basic Principles of Integrated Pest Management, Categories of Pesticides, Reading a Pesticide Label, Pesticide Application Techniques and Storage. The lecturers also covered Cleaning, Destroying and Disposal of Empty Pesticide Containers, as well as Cleaning Up Pesticide Spills and Leaks. Other were Transporting Pesticides Safely, Application safety, Protective Equipment Calibration of Knapsack Sprayer and Guidelines for Buying Pesticides.

The facilitators comprised seven master trainers from CropLife Nigeria. During the two-day training, participants expressed the urgent need for such an informative programme to be extended to farmers in the hinterland. They further called on the government, the private sector and donor agencies to pool efforts to cascade such training programmes so as to build the capacity of the grassroots and eliminate the dangers posed by poor handling.

Mr Muhammed Murtala, an agronomist with Saro Agro Sciences Ltd, notes that many farmers have died as a result of contamination from fake products. The improper application of pesticides, he says, is also threatening soil fertility. “The lack of knowledge on the correct use of the agro-chemicals is a major factor hindering agricultural development in Nigeria,” he says.

Murtala warns that the misuse of such chemicals can lead to serious health problems, including skin, brain and lung cancer. He estimates that the crop protection industry loses about N1.2 billion annually to adulterated fake products and urges government to establish an agency to monitor and regulate agricultural security.

Mr. Emma Ajayi, the Managing Director of Syngenta Nigeria Ltd, a multinational agro-chemical company, observes that the crop protection industry suffers from poor regulation.

“Perhaps a better way is to have a separate body to carry out this onerous task and liberate our agriculture from fake, counterfeited and unwholesome inputs,” Ajayi says.

He describes as welcome the decision of ECOWAS Ministers of Africulture to establish a regional committee to oversee the implementation of regulations regarding the production, importation and application of pesticides in West Africa.

The Tide