(GNA) The Presbyterian Agricultural Services has raised concerns about the increasing rate at which pesticides and other agro-chemicals were poisoning people causing 14 percent of occupational injuries in the agricultural sector.
It said even though Government might want to increase food security by introducing agro-chemicals into farming to enhance yield, the effects of these chemicals were more injurious and deadly.
The Presbyterian Church said the World Health Organization’s estimates that 1-5 million cases of pesticide poisoning occurs every year resulting in 20,000 fatalities among agricultural workers most of who were in the developing countries such as Ghana.
Mr Dan Kolbila, National Agriculture Coordinator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, raised these concerns in Tamale on Thursday during the launch of a campaign dubbed: “Misuse of pesticides in Ghana, the time to act is nowâ€.
He said owing to the serious consequences associated with the misuse of chemicals, there was the need for all stakeholders to have a collective effort at addressing the situation before the country reaches a crisis situation.
Mr Sylvester Adongo, a Retired Agriculturalist said agro-chemicals misuse was responsible for most of the male impotence in most of the farming communities in the country adding that most of the farmers misapplied the agro-chemicals meant to kill pest which however turn destroy their own reproductive system.
He said it was sad that most of the chemicals were being tasted by most farmers to determine its potency adding that by so doing they end up harming themselves.
Mr Adongo said that the use of ‘DDT’(a poisonous chemical) though it has been banned in the country is still being used by most fishermen and hunters in killing meat and fish and sell them to consumers.
Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, the Northern Regional Minister, said he was very worried with the recent cases of food poisoning that occurred in some parts of the region cautioning that farmers must be careful when applying their chemicals.
The Minister who’s speech was read for him called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory bodies to introduce more measures that will monitor and ensure that food poisoning was reduced through the proper application of chemicals.
Mr Christopher Y. Akai, of Northern Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said the region’s use of chemicals had increased from 1,822 metric tons in 2009 to 2,130 metric tons in 2010 and 2248 metric tons in 2011.
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