Ogun govt warns cocoa farmers against use of banned pesticides, herbicides

THE Ogun State government has said that any cocoa farmer found using banned pesticides and herbicides on his crops and farms risks a five to 15 year jail term or pay N500, 000 as option of fine.The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Ayo Olubori, in a statement signed by the ministry's spokesperson, Miss Deborah Odulate, said this during his visit to cocoa farmers and stakeholders in Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state.Olubori explained that new legislations on maximum residue levels (MRLs) forbade the use of chemicals such as DDT, Lindane, Gamalin 20, Copper Sulphate (Somi Soro), Dieldrin, Parathion, Dinoseb and Dinoseb Salts, among others because their residues have been discovered to be harmful for human consumption.He said: 'The new legislation on maximum residue levels (MRLS) had affected some consignment of cocoa beans that were exported into European countries, Japan and the United States of America.'These consignments have been returned to the African countries they had been imported from, and this has resulted in huge economic loss of foreign exchange to them.'The commissioner listed approved chemicals such as Dursban and Actara for insecticides, Ridomil Gold, Funguran-OH, Nordox 75WP, Champ D.P for fungicides Touchdown Forte and Round-up for herbicides and Actellic 25EC for storage.In his response to farmers' request for subsidy on cocoa agro-imputs, Olubori explained that plans were underway for the provision of hydrocarbon free jute-bags, one million improved variety cocoa seedlings and other agro-imputs at highly subsidised rates.The commissioner, who disclosed that Ogun State occupied the fourth position among the 14 cocoa producing states in the federation, explained that the government was working to improve cocoa production and by extension, investment opportunities in the state.
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