Pest Control Board for responsible pesticide trade
The Pesticides Control Board (PCB) has asked players in the pesticides industry to cut down on the amount of the pesticides brought into the country but is not put to use.
PCB acting registrar Misheck Soko said this yesterday during an engagement with pesticides traders on their responsibilities and to remind them of revised regulations on pesticides management.
He said: “The board has noted many pesticide management problems, including selling of counterfeits, shelving of expired products and poor disposal management of empty chemical containers. We understand to bring sanity in the pesticide industry we have to work together.
“We want you to buy [resellers] what you can manage to disperse so that you are fair to the market and yourself so we have instituted the requirement that if products are not gotten rid of after three months from the expiry date fines will be paid for them.”
Soko further said agro-dealers should be proactive when ordering goods and avoid buying risky products that are at the end of their lifespan for ignorance will not be a defence once PCB notes the nonconformity.
On his part, Crop life Malawi chairperson Thyphord Chirwa said they noted that some people are importing pesticide chemicals without having the right knowledge and permits.
“As an umbrella body that takes care of producers, importers and resellers of pesticides, we want everyone to adapt to regulations that the government has set so we are dedicated to ensure that all our members are in line with this,” he said.
Meanwhile, PCB is yet to set up a laboratory that will ensure that chemicals are tested before they are used in the country to avoid effects of toxicity of the chemicals to the country.
