Begoro (E/R), Dec. 6, GNA- Health workers in the Fanteakwa District have appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that fresh tomatoes sold on the open market was wholesome.
The appeal was made at a Performance Review Meeting of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) at Begoro on Friday, when Mr H. A. Asante of the MOFA complained that his Ministry could not guarantee the wholesomeness of fresh tomatoes sold on the open market because of arbitrary use of agro-chemicals by some farmers. Mr Asante said many tomato farmers in the area flout the advice of the Agriculture Extension Officers and continue to apply dangerous agro-chemicals on their products in order to get the fruits ripe within three days for harvesting and sale. He appealed to tomato farmers to apply recommended agro-chemicals, and warned that, "unsafe fresh tomato consumption could cause sterility." He alleged that despite the huge amount pumped into the Presidents' Special Initiative (PSI) on cassava at Begoro, some unknown farmers have destroyed the matured cassava claiming that it was not good for consumption.