Staff of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Attorney-General’s Department and representatives of the media have benefitted from a capacity training workshop on Ghana‘s pesticides laws and regulations as well as enforcement strategies in Kumasi.

It was organized by the Executive Committee (ExCO) of CropLife Ghana (CLG) in collaboration with Croplife Africa Middle East (CLAME), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Service Department (PPRSD) of the Ministry for Food and Agriculture (MoFA).

CLAME is a not-for-profit organization representing the leading global manufacturers of pesticides seeds, and biotechnology products in Africa and the Middle East.

The Regional Director, West and Central Africa of CLAME, Bama Yao, is happy about the organization’s contribution towards food security.

“CLAME is the voice and advocate for the plant science industry contributing to sustainable, innovative and science-based crop protection solutions to keep crops healthy and sustainable food supply.

“Our aim is to help make the most of plant science's great potential to improve sustainable agriculture, raise awareness and build understanding of the benefits of plant science in order to become increasingly accepted and supported by their stakeholders and promote the responsible and sustainable use of plant science technology,” he noted.

He said that CLAME and its national associations and other stakeholders are taking steps to clamp down on trade in illegal and counterfeit pesticides to protect farmers and crops across the globe.

The Ashanti Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Samuel Oteng, observed that Act 490 1996 on illegal pesticides is long overdue.

He warned against unauthorized sale and distribution of unauthorized pesticides.

“Manufacturing, distributing, wholesaling and retailing, exporting or importing of pesticides needs to be registered or environmental permit granted before one could engage in such a business.

“The EPA has been educating farmers as to how to identify the right pesticides in order not to end up negatively affecting their crops and lives.

The registration is in specifics and when your shop goes contrary to the specifics in accordance with the law it would be closed down.

“Any person below eight years is not allowed to be a shop keeper of pesticides either the law allows them to sell or buy pesticides, as the EPA is monitoring the packaging, loading and the transportation from one place to another of pesticides,” he said.