Fake chemicals Patronises certified dealers
By Kehinde Oluwatayo
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If Nigeria will overcome the infiltration of fake chemicals into the country, farmers must patronize certified agro chemical dealers.
This was the submission of the Ondo State Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Okanlawon Adeniyi in a chat with The Hope in his office in Akure.
According to him, there are sensitized agrochemical dealers who have been certified by both the federal and state governments who will not sell fake or illegal chemicals.
“Like we have been telling them, there are sensitized agrochemical dealers that they are supposed to patronize, certified by both federal and state governments.
“There is no need to patronize quacks. That is where some of them develop the problem. If the chemicals are from the right source, there will be no problem of any fake.
“The way this products enter into the country, only God knows because government has blocked all loopholes and there should not be illegal or fake chemicals. Although there are some that are manufactured in the country.
“We have the quarantine services in the federal ministry of agriculture that is working in conjunction with the immigration, the customs in every port and border,” he disclosed.
Adeniyi who said that federal government embarked on input distribution at a subsidized rate to curb the activities of illegal and fake chemical dealers called on farmers to join commodities associations or cooperatives so as to benefit from it.
” Let our farmers belong to commodities associations or cooperative society. We are distributing chemicals at a subsidized rate. Though we sell to individuals but majorly our target is association. So it is better for them to belong to a group., he advised.
According to him, trainings are going on regularly for farmers on improved hybrids, chemical application adding that there will be no issue of falling into fake chemical dealers if they make use of what they learn.
Another thing put in place by government to help the farmers according to him is extension services.
“That is where the agriculture development agents of each state come in. The extension officers recruited presently are resident with the farmers. They can even speak their language so that they can reach them.
“Though some of them are hiding but some have demonstration farms where they have tested the chemicals to convince the farmers and they are falling in line.
“These extension officers are the eyes of government, they are the ones to execute government policies on the field and they are to demonstrate what we taught them. We are to train them and they are to train the farmers.
“They are to sensitise farmers on modern technology of preservation processes so that the issue of application of chemicals directly on food does not arise at all,” he said.
He advised the farmers to join commodities associations or cooperative society to benefit from what government is doing.
