Posted by Kolade Stephen. on 8 May, 2023 under Naija News
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the importation into Nigeria, pesticides already banned in Europe.
NAFDAC also expressed worry over the toxicity associated with the misuse and abuse of pesticides, saying it affects food safety and food security.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the alert in a statement signed by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.
It read,
“The dangers posed by pesticides are of immense concern to the agency and there have been recent concerns from stakeholders such as the report of the study conducted by Heinrich Boll Foundation; a non-governmental organisation that claimed that 40 per cent of pesticides used in Nigeria had been banned in the EU.
“There was also an alert received from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development cautioning on the possibility that the European Union and the United Kingdom were exporting banned Neonicotinoid Pesticides to Nigeria and other poorer countries. Emphasis was placed on Chlorpyrifos and its variants due to their harmful effects on humans, animals, beneficial insects, and the environment.
“NAFDAC’s mandate, as enshrined in the Constitution, is to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, detergent and others.
“This necessitated the review and analysis of the list of registered pesticide and agrochemical active ingredients in the NAFDAC Registered Product Automated Database vis-à -vis activities banned, non-approved.â€