NGO laments use of toxic chemicals for crops

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Rural Environmental Empowerment (T.R.E.E.) initiative, on Friday lamented the use of toxic chemicals for crop production despite the ban on usage in Nigeria.

Mr Sola Kolawole, Director of TREE expressed his concern while speaking in Abuja.

Kolawole said that despite the ban by ECOWAS, some toxic chemicals were still being used for crop production.

According to him, these chemicals constitute huge threat to the national bee stock as well as danger to humans and the environment.

Kolawole said that June 21 to 27 was declared as Pollinators’ Week just to create awareness on the importance of pollinators to the food system.

“As a way forward, we think we need to have a stakeholders’ roundtable on pesticide usage, we must begin to look at the alternatives.

‘’This is because apart from being an environmental issue, it is also fast becoming a human and animal health issue.

‘’Neonicotinoid pesticides such as acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam pose neurotoxic risks to people and wildlife, including bees and other pollinators,’’ he said.

Kolawole said that many local farmers did not know that there was a nexus between pollination and crop yield.

“Bees pollinate about 80 per cent of crops and when we start killing them, we will begin to experience low yield, less income and biodiversity loss,” he said.

Kolawole said the NGO in collaboration with Women Farmers Advancement Network was working on a Beekeeping for Pollination project targeted at young women farmers.

‘’The project was to train and equip youths on agroforestry and beekeeping for increase in farm yields.

‘’The goal here is the planting of bee friendly trees to attract and keep bees in parklands for pollination purposes and honey production.

“We have begun this advocacy, educating and training of farmers to plant fruit trees and flowers.

“We should avoid using toxic pesticides, don’t destroy wildflowers growing close to the farm fields

“Grow and eat organic farm products which are healthier, and by doing all these, we save our bees from extinction,” he explained.