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By Onzoma Albert Arua Agro-input dealers in West Nile are advocating for stricter regulations and certification of agrochemicals used in vegetable farming and preservation. They emphasize the importance of ensuring chemical safety, promoting sustainable pest m
Farmers in 13 West Nile districts during their recent training in Arua city (Photo by Onzoma Albert)
By Onzoma Albert
Arua
Agro-input dealers in West Nile are advocating for stricter regulations and certification of agrochemicals used in vegetable farming and preservation.
They emphasize the importance of ensuring chemical safety, promoting sustainable pest management and preventing the use of high-risk, banned or counterfeit pesticides.
These concerns emerged during the recent launch of new hybrid tomato (Captain F1) and green pepper (Gallant F1) varieties by Syova Seeds Uganda Limited in Arua city.
Bernard Alemiga, the chairperson of West Nile Agro Input Dealers Association, urged the Ugandan government through the various regulatory authorities to enhance controls over chemical usage, citing issues with imported vegetables that often contain dangerous chemicals harmful to human health.
“We have gone to the markets and seen tomatoes seriously dusted with chemicals by farmers. If we do not open our eyes, all of us are getting sick every day and this a regulatory issue beyond agro-input dealers. This is a serious issue that needs discussions generated in regulating what we are going to eat in this region” he said.
Dr. Willy Nguma, the production officer of Arua District acknowledged these concerns and called for a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders to address the growing chemical-related risks.
“Uganda as a country has faced a lot of challenges in agro-inputs and it goes through up to veterinary drugs and equipment. There are a lot of fake products in the market currently, so, this calls for collective responsibility from all of us as stakeholders” Nguma said.
Vegetable farmers in Uganda continue to use banned and highly hazardous pesticides despite being prohibited, with over 65% of such chemicals in use is being banned in the European Union countries.
These chemicals are used on vegetables like tomatoes and vegetables due to lack of training, ignorance of regulations and the prevalence of counterfeit products, putting both consumer health and exports at risk.