Toxic harvest: Hazardous pesticides harm food production, exports — Experts

•Loses implicit $362.5m to export rejects

•Over 23,400MT pesticides imported annually

•We banned pesticides injurious to health- DG, NAFDAC

•Agric ministry keeps mum connected interaction of pesticides

•Experts explicit heavy concerns, counsel FG

By Gabriel Ewepu

Nigeria’s harvest fields whitethorn look lush, but beneath the greenish screen is simply a terrifying truth: deadly pesticides are poisoning the nation’s food, impoverishing farmers and disappointing the economy.

Every year, implicit $362 cardinal worthy of Nigeria’s nutrient exports are rejected overseas due to the fact that of pesticide residues, portion backmost home, millions of radical unknowingly devour chemicals that are already banned elsewhere.

What were meant to boost harvests are present a dilatory poison, threatening well-being, nutrient security, and Nigeria’s planetary credibility.

So, Nigeria’s cultivation assemblage is facing a soundless but unsafe crisis, arsenic determination is rising apprehension implicit the terrible interaction of over-dependence connected pesticides connected Nigeria’s nutrient accumulation and export revenue, with the state losing implicit $362 cardinal owed to rejection of exports.

Currently, implicit 23,400 metric tonnes of pesticides are imported into the state annually portion 90 per cent of farmers usage highly hazardous pesticides successful nutrient accumulation and preservation chemicals, including Paraquat, Chlorpyrifos and Atrazine.

With much than 23,400 metric tonnes of pesticides imported annually, the country’s nutrient systems are progressively contaminated by highly hazardous chemicals, improvement experts accidental is threatening nationalist health, export opportunities and semipermanent nutrient security.

According to the Alliance for Action connected Pesticides successful Nigeria, AAPN, much than 90 per cent of Nigerian farmers usage highly hazardous pesticides, HHPs, specified arsenic Paraquat, Chlorpyrifos, and Atrazine chemicals already banned successful respective countries due to the fact that of their toxic effects connected humans, ungraded and the environment.

Over 65 per cent of progressive ingredients successful pesticides registered successful Nigeria autumn into the highly hazardous category, yet they stay wide disposable successful section markets.

Efforts by Financial Vanguard to get authoritative comments from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security connected measures to curb the signifier were unsuccessful.

$362.5m mislaid annually to export bans

Lead Coordinator of AAPN, Donald Ofoegbu, revealed that pesticide residues are astatine the bosom of the repeated rejection of Nigerian nutrient exports.

“More than 76 per cent of Nigeria’s cultivation exports are rejected by the European Union connected information grounds. For beans alone, Nigeria loses $362.5 cardinal each twelvemonth owed to pesticide contamination,” helium said.

He added that adjacent sesame, 1 of Nigeria’s apical export crops, faces imaginable restrictions from Japan, saying “Japanese authorities raised concerns that Nigerian farmers are present utilizing pesticides to adust sesame. If unresolved, this could pb to different export ban.”

Soil, health, and biology risks

Environmental expert, Prof. Babatunde Bolaji Benard, explained that portion pesticides had helped accrued yields, their semipermanent costs outweighed short-term gains.

“Overuse of pesticides disrupts ecosystems, destroys pollinators, contaminates ungraded and water, and exposes farmers and consumers to chronic illnesses similar respiratory diseases, hormonal disorders, kidney failure, and cancer,” helium warned.

He advocated Integrated Pest Management, IPM, a premix of biological, taste and chemic practices, arsenic a safer alternative.

ActionAid raises alarm

Speaking connected the issue, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, disclosed that much than 65 per cent of pesticides successful circulation were hazardous, portion implicit 50 per cent of those approved successful Nigeria were already banned successful Europe.

He linked their overuse to worsening ungraded fertility, biodiversity loss, and rising wellness burdens, including 20 cardinal Nigerians surviving with chronic kidney illness and 72,000 yearly crab deaths.

“These chemicals persist successful ungraded and water, and their residues successful crops comprom...