EMBU, Kenya, Feb 10 – Pest Control Products Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Esther Kimani has blamed the rising cases of cancer in Embu County on misuse of pesticides by farmers.
Speaking in Embu County when the board hosted Embu and Kirinyaga senior agricultural officers, Kimani said that many farmers in the county were misusing pesticides to the extent of using pesticides that were banned by the Pest Control Products Board on their farms.
The CEO disclosed that Kenya has lost some foreign horticulture markets due to the high usage of banned pesticides by farmers in Kenya.
She however said that the Board has partnered with county Governments to form Sprays Service Providers (SSP) in a bid to control the usage of banned pesticides which is posing health risks to Kenyans.
Kimani said that through the partnership with County Governments and formation of sprays service providers, the board will be able to monitor cartels that are selling banned and prohibited pesticides to farmers.
Kimani added that the Sprays Service Providers (SSP) will be mandated by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) to work hand in hand with farmers who use pesticides.
She further said that the SSP will educate farmers on the right pesticides to use on their farms to avoid banned pesticides.
She disclosed that some muguka farmers in Mbeere North and South Embu, have been using pesticides meant for flowers on their farms adding that the Sprays Service Providers will be entrusted by the PCPB to ensure that such a case does not happen.
The national Pest Control Products Board chairman Njoroge Kagwe said that in an effort to scale down misuse of pesticides by farmers, PCPB is also set to publish and list down all the pesticide chemicals that were banned in market.
Kagwe added that the board would license all the Sprays Service Providers so that farmers will only be dealing with SSPs who were legitimately licensed by PCPB.
He said the move would help the board weed out cartels who have been misadvising farmers on pesticides in the country.
