By Isaac Salima:
An operation of fishing out unlicenced pesticide traders has led to the confiscation of suspected illegal products and the arrest of seven individuals in Ntcheu District.
Pesticides Control Board (PCB) and police officers have been conducting the exercise in some districts in the country.
PCB Senior Monitoring and Enforcement Officer Benson Kamphandira warned people from buying pesticides from unlicenced traders.
“Pesticides are chemicals and are dangerous because they can kill and destroy our environment. What is happening is that agro-dealers and vendors are just taking these pesticides onto the market, which is against our regulations.
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“So, in this operation, we conducted the exercise in several markets in Ntcheu, where we have arrested the suspects and confiscated the products,” Kamphandira said.
Ntcheu Police Station spokesperson Jacob Khembo said the suspects will appear in court “soon”.
“The unscrupulous traders should know that we are after them. What they should do is ensure that they are certified and licenced to conduct the business,” Khembo said.
The exercise was conducted at Kampepuza, Lizulu and Nyemba markets in the Central Region district.
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According to the Pesticides Act, no person is allowed to manufacture, export, distribute, store for sale or sell a pesticide without a licence issued by PCB and in accordance with any conditions the board can prescribe.
Agriculture researchers say the majority of farmers in Malawi use pesticides to protect their crops from pests.
“Without the use of pesticides, farmers would not be able to harvest significant yields. However, several studies worldwide have shown that some pesticides used by farmers are harmful to human health,” Jacob Jeketule Soko noted in a journal article published in 2018.
He recommended that agriculture officials should devise strategies to increase understanding of the effects of the pesticides and restrict the distribution of illegal pesticides.
