The Government of Uganda is to destroy at least 90 tonnes of expired, banned and counterfeit pesticides impounded by the Department of Crop Inspection and Certification (DCIC) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) over the last seven years.
The pesticides valued at UGX 2 Billion were confiscated from agricultural shops, farms, and manufacturers across the country in a bid to improve the health and safety of crop consumers.
Fred Muzira, an inspector at DCIC has urged farmers to desist from cheap and substandard pesticides which are harmful to the soil and expensive in the long run.
Muzira furthermore revealed that the ministry has allocated enough funds in order to heighten the crackdown on banned and substandard chemicals.
DCIC of employees display some of the confiscated chemicals.
According to MAAIF’s Senior Agriculture Inspector, Sylvia Mutebi a total of ten culprits have been charged and convicted in recent years, with several other cases ongoing.
Mutebi has however called on the government to come up with more stringent laws and policies to dissuade would-be perpetrators.
Several tonnes of unregulated and banned pesticides are smuggled into the country every year and used by farmers to spray fruits and vegetables to control pests and diseases. Many of these pesticides have reported to result in health problems.
Away from health problems, these chemicals make it hard for Ugandan agricultural produce to compete favorably in the international market.
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