Agric

The West Africa Regional Coordinator of the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), Dr Victor Attuquaye Clottey, has advised farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural value chain to follow precautionary measures on  the use of every agrochemical.

He expressed concern about the misapplication of agrochemicals by farmers, particularly those involved in crop production, which endangered their lives and that of consumers.

Speaking to crop farmers at the Aviation farm site in the Adentan municipality in Accra during a two-day stakeholder dialogue, he indicated that the use of chemicals had come to stay and so it was important to use them appropriately to avoid adverse effects in the long-term.

He stated that every chemical was poisonous depending on how it was regulated, used, manufactured, stored, transported and applied.

Ghana’s cocoa processing sector is expected to receive a major boost as Logistics Company, Quantum Terminals plans to establish a US$80million cocoa processing plant in Tema.

The project which is currently ongoing would have a production capacity of 64,000 metric tonnes when fully completed, and seeks to add value to the products which is often exported in its raw form.

The company had started with the first phase of the project which will process 32,000 metric tonnes and the second phase would start once the plant becomes operational.

Executive Chairman of Quantum Terminals, Mr Emmanuel Egyei- Mensah said, “we already have the company set up and the project is ongoing. We are going to build a cocoa processing plant and it will be located in Tema.”

The West Africa Regional Coordinator of the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), Dr Victor Attuquaye Clottey, has recommended that Ghana adheres to conventions on the use of chemicals for crop production in the long term.

He cited the Montreal, Stockholm and Rotterdam Protocols, and the Global Harmonised Systems (GHS) of labelling chemicals, which set out the details of the principles for internationally effective chemical safety for use, particularly in agriculture.

In an interview during a two-day stakeholder dialogue in Accra on “Excessive use and Misuse of Chemicals in Crop Production, ” he said “it is necessary to stick to the protocols which all tell the hazards that farmers and consumers carry so it can be taken into consideration in relation to what is allowed into the country, how to use it well to solve the problem of excessive use and misuse of chemicals.”

The General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), under the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), has since 2013 withdrawn over 3,500 children from child labour and distributed a range of stationery, over 20,000 to schools in 30 communities within the Kwaebibirem, Kpando-Torkor and Hemang districts in the Eastern, Volta and Ashanti regions respectively.

It has also trained and supported teachers with teaching aids and materials, while empowering its Anti-Child Labour clubs through education on policies and legislations on child labour locally, regionally and internationally as agents of change.

These clubs are also educated on sexual and reproductive health rights, career guidance and counselling amongst others.

The General Secretary of GAWU, Mr Edward Kareweh on the union’s contribution towards eliminating child labour, who disclosed this in an interview said the union had, over the years, worked towards ensuring that children remain children, while adu