Farmers must report sellers of smuggled pesticides – Agriculture Minister

Sep 19, 2013 News

Pesticides

In order to effectively win the fight against the trade of illegal chemicals, the Minister of Agriculture is depending on the involvement of the product consumers.
During an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Minister Ramsammy acknowledged that the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) has been avid in its efforts to eliminate malpractices in the sector, recording a one per cent reduction in the availability of the illegal chemicals on the market during last year.
However, the Minister noted that the banned pesticides are still being brought into the country through illegal methods by traders who are not registered or given permission by the Ministry.
He said that since the board is not equipped with the number of staff to carry out countrywide inspections for illegal chemical trade, the assistance from legal traders and especially farmers, the direct users of the chemicals, is crucial.
The Minister said that his Ministry has been especially on the lookout for chemicals that are imported through illegal channels and those that are improperly mixed.
He explained that though some pesticides are allowed for use, once they have been brought into the country by unregistered agencies, they are considered unacceptable.
The Minister explained that smuggled chemicals are often identified by their labels since it is statutory that imported chemicals are labeled in English. If then, a chemical is labeled in a foreign language, it is considered illegal, he said.
The labels, he stated, enable consumers to read the instructions and warnings, since all chemicals pose a threat, if not used as directed.
Thus, registered traders are cautioned by the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the imported chemicals are bought from legitimate manufacturers; and that they are labeled, stored and packaged properly. This is to ensure the safety of the chemicals’ users.
Pesticides that are imported through illegal channels are often times diluted before sale and as such, cannot adequately serve their intended purpose. The Minister said that such cases are widespread since the diluted chemicals are, most times, sold at a cheaper price than the genuine item.
Farmers are tempted to purchase these substandard materials in order to cut costs.
“Some people are bringing in pesticides that do not have the regular composition, and they are selling it cheaper. That’s the problem that our farmers face many times. They are tempted to buy these medicines that the illegal people sell because they are offered a cheap price.”
The Minister said that while farmers believe that they are cutting costs by paying less for the chemicals, the losses they face for the letdown of the chemical accounts for more than they saved.
He is therefore urging farmers to take up the primary role in assisting the Pesticides Board to further reduce the availability of illegal drugs on the market.
He suggested that before purchasing the drugs, farmers should ensure that the traders have proof of their authorisation by the Ministry to sell the chemicals. The Minister said that if the registration document is not visible in the area where the chemicals are being sold, farmers should insist on seeing it.
He recommended that in the event a trader is identified selling chemicals without registration, contact should be made with the Ministry as soon as possible.
According to the Minister, traders who are guilty of selling smuggled chemicals are likely to have their business licence taken away in addition to facing charges in the courts.
He added that Government’s employ of traceability would also assist in detecting illegal trade of chemicals since the system would allow for every trader who came into contact with the chemical to be confronted in the event an illegal chemical is identified.

1 thoughts on “Farmers must report sellers of smuggled pesticides – Agriculture Minister”

Jomo September 19, 2013 at 9:36 am

“He recommended that in the event a trader is identified selling
chemicals without registration, contact should be made with the Ministry
as soon as possible.”

In this day and age is this the way for any Government to do business to protect its people. Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals are control substances and their entries into Guyana should under the control of the C.A.N.U. If these department we effective in their functioning store owners will sell what is approve by government but then again everybody hustling, from the Government to the poor man.