FG, Stakeholders Seek Legislation to Sanitise Agro-chemical Sector

James Emejo and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Sabo Nanono has reiterated the determination of the ministry to ensure the signing into law the proposed draft bill for the establishment of the Nigerian Pesticide Council.

He said the emergence of the Council will sanitise the agrochemical landscape as well as liberate it from counterfeiters.
Specifically, he said fake and contraband pesticides products had found their way into the Nigerian markets, with the attendant economic and health implications for Nigerians.

Speaking at a multi-stakeholders workshop on the proposed bill for the, ‘Establishment of the Nigerian Pesticides Council and Other Related Matters Connected Therewith 2020,’ Nanono, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe said: “As a ministry, we are committed to ensuring that the agrochemical being produced, distributed and marketed in the country conforms with internationally acclaimed standards.”

Nanono said agrochemicals are widely used in agriculture, pointing out that starting from seed dressing before planting to storage, marketing and distribution of grains, they are relevant in the value chain.
He stated that as a result of the huge market for agrochemicals, counterfeiters are flooding the market with massive quantities of fake and contraband pesticide products.

He said the continuous use of fake and contraband pesticide products had continued to pose serious dangers to both the farmers and the environment.

According to him: “The continued absence of a regulatory framework capable of providing an all – inclusive and adequate control and monitoring of the industry is unacceptable for the country.

“We are determined to follow through with the enactment and subsequent signing of the proposed bill before the National Assembly into law.”

The minister, in a statement stated: “The law will brazenly empower the ministry to sanitise the agrochemical industry through issuing appropriate license to the genuine pesticides manufacturers, importers, sellers and distributors while expanding the revenue base of the government and boosting investors’ confidence in the industry”.