FG Bemoans $400m Spent On Agric Chemical Import

The Federal Government has disclosed that Nigeria is spending almost N140 billion ($400 million) yearly to import different chemicals for agriculture to prevent post-harvest losses. The Director of Research Operation at the Federal Government- led Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Dr. Olayemi Folorunsho, disclosed this to this newspaper in an interview, saying that importers invested $400 million yearly on chemical imports to prevent residual effects on crops, especially to protect durable crops from being infected by pests and insects.
 
According to him, the importation of the chemicals is to save the country’s food produc-tion since about 45 per cent of food waste are lost to post-harvest losses in Nigeria. Folorunsho, in the interview, however, cautioned that the use of chemicals in prevention in the country had high risk of health challenges amid the hazardous application on the crops. Following this, the NSPRI’s director of research operation explained that Nigerian farmers needed to explore alternative avenues for the country’s food storage and reserve rather than depending on chemicals, which are sometimes dangerous to human health…
 
More details through:
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/fg-bemoans-n140bn-spent-on-agric-chemical-import/
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