Embarrassing, absurd and avoidable were the words used to describe the story published on this page last Sunday. What is the way forward? What solution is the federal government proffering to the problem? These were questions from Barrister Cecelia Iquo who called from the University of Calabar. It is just a case of using the wrong insecticide and wrong applications. Every farmer ought to know that the wrong usage of Dichlorvos pesticide is dangerous to the health of consumers,
so why are farmers still allowed to use it? queried another reader, Prof. Amachi Onyeche, in an email. Still, another reader reacted thus: Why is the European Union making a case out of a mole hill? If they do not want Nigerian beans, other nations do. Is it not the same beans they rejected that we are eating and has anybody died from it? The reader queried. Last Sunday on this page, we published a story entitled ‘Fears heighten as EU temporarily bans beans
importation from Nigeria.’ According to the story, European Union [EU] banned the beans because of the high levels of dichlorvos pesticide in the beans which poses grave danger to the health of the consumers. Also high levels of other chemicals like Chlorpyrifos, Cyhalothrin, Dimathoate, Trichlorphon and Omethoate were also discovered in the dried beans meant for export. These are synthetic pesticides applied during planting and storage to preserve the beans from insects. The ban which was confirmed by the Deputy Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Comfort Makanjuola, will stay in effect until June 30th 2016 by which time the EU hoped the exporters of dried beans from Nigeria would have adhered to regulations. Most of the rejected beans were found to contain between 0.03mg per kilogramme and 4.6mg/kg of dichlorvos pesticide when its acceptable maximum residue level is 0.01mg/kg. Explaining the incident as an embarrassment to Nigeria and the regulatory agencies involved, Mr. Nnamdi Ukoko said the issue of pesticide residue in grains is an issue that can be permanently eliminated by the usage of BioNim fertilizer and Bionimbecidine HP111 botanical storage chemical by farmers and handlers. “Both products are organic plant extracts for planting, post harvesting and storage of grains which leaves no residue and poses no health threat to humans,” he said. Ukoko, the Nigerian representative of BICCO Agro Products with head quarters in India and Netherlands, noted that organic fertilisers and organic storage chemicals should be used for planting and storage of grains, cereals, pulses, etc as they are natural products and as such human friendly. Throwing more light on what must have gone wrong with the dried beans rejected by the EU, he said “the synthetic chemical used in storage of the beans did not break down before the handlers put it out for exportation. Ideally, depending on the chemical formulation, the beans should have been left in storage for a period of 3-4months before presenting it to consumers. “But if an organic fertiliser and organic storage chemical is used in the planting and storage of beans, it will be suitable for consumption and exportation immediately as no pesticide residue is left.” Organic fertiliser such as BioNim, he explained, is the residual product remaining after the cold pressing of the Neem seed for the extraction of the natural and organic oil. The high content of azadirachtin in BioNim protects crops against a wide range of parasites in addition to enriching the soil. Synthetic chemicals like dichlorvos, apart from leaving residue in beans, cause the product to shrink while adversely effecting the quality, but biotechnical storage pest control leaves no residue, maintains the quality, safety while also extending the finished produce shelf life, noted the stakeholder who has been in organic agro farming for over 25 years. Cautioning consumers on eating beans with synthetic residue, a professor at the Nutritional and Toxicology Dept, University of Jos, who pleaded anonymity, said he will rather advice Nigerians to desist from eating contaminated beans. Speaking in a telephone interview, he cautioned, “If you suspect the beans, it’s better you wash it thoroughly, par boil, get rid of the first water before adding fresh water to proceed to the final cooking.” Several researches have confirmed that botanical pesticides are eco- friendly, easily biodegradable, nontoxic to non-target organism. The insecticide of plant origin could be exploited for the development of novel molecules with highly precise targets for sustainable insect pest management in stored grain. Another great advantage is that the raw materials could be sourced locally. According to a study ‘Evaluation of Botanical Products as stored Grain Protectant Against Maize weevil’ published on Maize Journal of Entomology 4: 258-262, paw paw leaf powder was found to be the most effective in reducing the number of live insects in the grains. The study was conducted to evaluate leaf powder botanical products of eucalyptus, paw paw and lantana against the infestation of maize weevil on stored maize grains. These botanicals were compared with synthetic chemical (Actellic super dust) and without insecticides application as controls. All tested plant products performed well in reduction of live insects during maize storage as compared to the no insecticide application. However, pawpaw leaf powder was the most effective. This also reflects on the weight loss where the maize grains treated with pawpaw leaf powder were lowest. As a way forward, however, in view of the recent death occurrence in Ondo State which was traced down to exposure to pesticide, the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) after the baseline studies carried out in nine states asked that a list of all banned and restricted chemicals used as pesticides be widely circulated in public and private sectors and that the federal government should facilitate the enactment into law, an Agricultural Chemicals Pesticides Regulation Law. They have also recommended intense and regular, informative and widely distributed training of farmers and pesticide applicators, appropriate enforcement of regulation that requires that all pesticides retail and wholesale outlets, stores or facilities within the market be located at a designated section for easy control and accessibility and safe control. Speaking on why pesticides have been grossly handled wrongly in Nigeria, Professor Chikwendu, the National Coordinator of WAAPP in Nigeria, said, “Although the National Environmental Standards Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is actively involved in ensuring safe use and management of pesticides in Nigeria, it’s major function of enforcing
the regulation on pesticide use has been greatly hindered by the absence of a national pesticide regulation.” Makanjuola advised exporters to find out the quality requirements specified by importing countries in order to prevent rejection and destruction of their processed and semi processed products. “All the people dealing with semi processed and processed foods must know the quality specifications by the importing countries. We must know the acceptable levels of pesticides and agrochemicals used in growing and storing the commodities.” The Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the National Special Programme on Food Security and all other relevant agencies should popularise organic agriculture to Nigerian farmers in order to produce safe foods for human consumption and for the export market.
http://thenationonlineng.net/experts-recipe-for-beans-pest/

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