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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has slammed a ban on importation and usage of 30 different brands of pesticides and other chemicals found to be harmful to health and environment.
NAFDAC referred Nigerians to visit its website for the list of the banned pesticides, warning that it would come down hard on anyone that violates its regulations on importation of pesticides and other chemicals, knowingly or unknowingly.
The agency, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, indicated that its Director General, Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed the information during a two-day meeting of NAFDAC top management committee (TMC) in Lagos, at the weekend.
She said Nigeria was a signatory to several international treaties and conventions that banned chemicals and pesticides such as the Rotterdam Convention, an international treaty designed to facilitate informed decision-making by countries with regard to trade in hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
Adeyeye, added that, in the last four years, NAFDAC has reviewed its regulations, guidelines and strengthen collaboration with government agencies and stakeholders to ensure effective regulations, and such collaborative effort has been recorded in agro-chemicals regulation and other areas.
“NAFDAC has reviewed the safety of all registered agrochemicals in Nigeria in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and had initiated four years’ phase-out plan for obsolete and some hazardous agrochemicals.
“Such phase-out plan is currently running for Paraquat, which will be phase-out in 2024 and Atrazine in 2025 while 100ml pack size of Dichlorvos (DDVP) is already banned due to inappropriate use.
“So far, about 30 pesticides have been banned in Nigeria. A prudent and responsible use of pesticides and agrochemicals is the paramount caution in the use of the products in Nigeria,” she said.
NAFDAC boss, however, stressed the need for ethical and responsible use of regulated products, stressing that all should always buy and use registered products.
“The manufacturers’ instruction as indicated on the product label plays a significant role in achieving safe use of regulated products therefore, strict compliance to it is highly inevitable
“This is extremely important to forestall the risk of mishandling, poor storage, unsafe exposure to the products and unregistered/banned agrochemicals in circulation,” she said.
