A professor at the Department of Chemistry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST) has decried the use of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in the cultivation of food stuff in the country.
Professor Nathaniel Owusu Boadi said the habit is very common in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, the use of the chemical has been banned since 1993 by the virtue of Ghana being a signatory to the Stockholm Convention.
However, two separate research works he led into the matter proved that it is still being used by farmers in the country, especially in the Ashanti Region.
“I did two studies, one on organochlorine pesticides in fruits and the other in vegetables. These were from the Ashanti Region. In both cases, I looked at these organochlorine pesticides mainly because they are banned and are not supposed to be used for any form of cultivation in Ghana since 1993 because we are signatories to the Stockholm Convention.”
“However, it is interesting that for both studies, we found evidence that these organochlorine pesticides were still in use, especially with DDT which was very common in our studies and so that raises a lot of concern for us because these are banned so why are they still being used.”
Prof. Nathaniel Owusu Boadi described the findings as alarming.
“These pesticides which under normal circumstances are not supposed to be used in vegetable cultivation ideally even if they were not banned, they shouldn’t be used on Cocoa, but we found them in alarming concentrations on these vegetables.”
He revealed this on Joy SMS on Wednesday, June 15.
He thus charged the Food and Drugs Authority to up its game to curb the menace.
Latest Stories
-
Herman Suede set to release ‘How Dare You’ on April 22
1 hour -
Heal KATH: Kuapa Kokoo, Association of Garages donate 120k to support project
1 hour -
KNUST signs MOU with Valco Trust Fund, Bekwai Municipal Hospital to build student hostel
1 hour -
The influence Ronaldo has on people, Cadman Yamoah will have same on the next generation – Coach Goodwin
2 hours -
Gender Advocate Emelia Naa Ayeley Aryee Wins prestigious Merck Foundation Awards
3 hours -
South Africa bursary scandal suspects granted bail
3 hours -
Ecobank successfully repays $500m Eurobond due April 18
4 hours -
Re: Doe Adjaho, Torgbui Samlafo IV, call for Unity among Paramountcies in Anlo
4 hours -
Extortion and kidnap – a deadly journey across Mexico into the US
4 hours -
Rihanna says fashion has helped her personal ‘rediscovery’ after having children
4 hours -
Development Bank Ghana targets GH¢1bn funding for commercial banks in 2024
4 hours -
Shatta Movement apologises to Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled after backlash
5 hours -
Sammy Gyamfi writes: Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project; A railway line to nowhere
5 hours -
Bright Simons: Is the World Bank saving or harming Ghana?
6 hours -
CAF Cup: RS Berkane banned from entering Algeria because of a map of Morocco with its Sahara
6 hours