Agro-chemicals are poisonous products that could kill- GAIDA

Bunso(E/R), May 7, GNA - The Ghana Agro-chemical Input Dealers Association(GAIDA), has warned that most agro-chemicals are poisonous and so misapplication of such products could lead to destruction of life and the ecology.

The National President of GAIDA, Mr Bower Solomon Tettey Amartey who gave the warning has therefore called on agro-input dealers to acquire adequate information on the products they sell to enable them to offer the correct advice to farmers and other clients in order to protect consumers of agricultural products.

Mr Amartey was speaking at the formal opening of a four-day training workshop of members of GAIDA, drawn from the Greater Accra and Eastern regions on the use of agro-chemical products at Bunso on Wednesday. He said one of the aims of GAIDA was to improve upon the knowledge of members of the association through regular training and to support them to acquire loans from financial institutions at much reduced interest rates to expand their businesses.

Similar training workshops have been organised by the association for its members in the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Western and Central regions. Mr Francis Nyagbenu, of the Environmental Protection Agency, advised the dealers to use hand gloves when handling agro-chemicals and to wash their hands afterwards.

The Eastern Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr Godwin Ocloo who chaired the function, advised the participants against arbitrary increase of prices of their products to enable farmers to buy and use them to increase productivity.

He urged them to sell high quality seeds and agro-chemicals to farmers. Mr Ocloo said the workshop had prepared them to support agriculture extension agents in their communities in spreading knowledge on the proper use of agro-chemicals and seeds to farmers.