Akyem Tafo (E/R), Aug. 09, GNA - Mr Ernest Debrah, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, has expressed worry about indiscriminate sale and use of highly hazardous and inappropriate agrochemicals by farmers. He said research had shown that poor farmers were using cheaper, more hazardous, poor quality and adulterated agrochemicals and this affected their health and the environment.

Mr Debrah said this at the opening of the 25th Biennial Conference of the Ghana Science Association at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana at Akyem Tafo, under the Theme "Ghana's Agriculture at 50: Agrochemicals-Our Wealth, Health and Environment".

He said some of the most hazardous agrochemicals in the world were among those being use regularly in the country by farmers who lack information and training, protective equipment, proper application equipment and running water for washing.

"Women take babies and young children to the fields and often breastfeed infants after having been exposed to pesticides." Mr Debrah said case study findings revealed extremely disturbing levels of pesticides misuse and abuse resulting in poisoning of families and livestock among others.

He said the regulatory systems governing the importation, formulation, sale and use of agrochemicals was still rudimentary and was lack of or incomplete legislation.

"For instance, there is no fertilizer law in place and also there are no legislative instruments to effectively enforce the Pesticides Control Management Act, 528 (1996)."

Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, the Eastern Regional Minister, said in a speech read on his behalf with a national policy on agriculture that sought to increase exports to neighbouring countries, there was the need to intensify efforts at maintaining quality through the judicious use of agrochemicals.

He said very stable markets had collapsed overnight due to low quality outputs and also whole consignments had been destroyed or banned for the same reason.

Mr Asiedu said access to the international markets among other requirements depended on being able to supply the quality that importers demanded.

Mr Isaac Osei, Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) who chaired the function, called for a delicate balance between the use of agrochemicals in agriculture to enhance productivity and its environment and other adverse impacts.

He said with the help of research, COCOBOD had responded appropriately to the changing market trends in terms of quality by taking steps to develop the capacity to certify that "our cocoa meets market requirements on minimum chemical residue levels so as to maintain

Ghana's reputation as producer of premium quality cocoa". Dr F. M. Amoah, the National President of the Ghana Science Association, said the problems associated with the use of agrochemicals could be due to weak socio-economic structures, lack of rural infrastructure, ignorance, illiteracy, suspicion, tradition, communication problems and inadequate education among others. He said it was against such background that the association was taking the initiative in spearheading the campaign for appropriate use of agrochemicals to ensure increased and sustained agricultural production, food security and safe and healthy environment.