The use of Atrazine and Paraquat, product will son be ban in Nigeria, as disclosed by The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The product often used by farmers, will son be ban, because of effect it cause to environment, and the people apply it.
The information was discloses by Dr Husman Bukar, the Director, of Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate, NAFDAC, while speaking at the launching of a herbicide (Lifeline), produced by United Phosphorous Limited (UPL).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports “that the product launched at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, was also developed with UPL, IITA and Springfield Agro Company Lagos.”
According Bukar the decision ban the product come because new herbicides that are safer and environmentally friendly were being registered in Nigeria.
He said “A date for the ban has not been announced but it will happen very soon. Paraquat has been banned in several countries and we cannot continue to allow it to come into Nigeria,”.
He further give strict measures to arrest the use of Snipper (Dichlorvos or 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate) in homes to stop the abuse of the pesticide which in recent times had been used to commits suicides in Nigeria.
He said, “Recently, some suicide cases have been associated with people drinking Snipper, henceforth, we call on the agro-chemical industry to enhance their distribution channels so that this product (Snipper) gets to only accredited distributors and marketers.
“We have also placed a ban on the manufacture of smaller packs of Snipper which are easily purchased for household use.
“On the use of glyphosate by farmers, NAFDAC has placed a ban on glyphosate-based formulations with tallow-amine (an emulsifier and wetting agent for agrochemical formulations.
“Agrochemical companies have been given the grace period of between now and December 2019 to withdraw all glyphosate formulations with tallow-amine from the Nigerian market,”.
Mr Shanni Srivastava, who also speak at the event said that UPL Country Manager, said his company was working towards ensuring that only safer and environmentally friendly herbicides are registered in the Nigerian market for the benefit of farmers.
He said “the debut of Lifeline was to offer a better and safer alternative to paraquat which in several countries in Africa had been banned”.
Reacting to the development, the President of the Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Aminu Abubakar, said Lifeline as is a very good weed control herbicide in maize.
Abubakar said that most of the maize farmers were now using the product and applauded UPL for registering the product in Nigeria.
He also commended IITA and Springfield Agrochemicals for collaborating with UPL to ensure that Nigerian farmers benefited from the innovation.
Mr Tope Olabokunde, a cassava farmer, who participated in the Technologies for African Agriculture Transformation (TAAT) programme where Lifeline was used by researchers from IITA, said the product was a the best controller of weeds.
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