The Anti-Counterfeit Authority has raised the red flag on the proliferation of counterfeit pesticides.
The watchdog authority said Kenya loses Sh120 billion annually through the trade of fake pesticides which currently accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of agrochemicals sold in the country (See page 8).
Apart from denying the government much-needed revenue, the trade poses a risk to farmers, consumers and the environment.
The fake products unlike those brought into the country legally are not subjected to tests on human, animal and environmental safety.
The rise in the number of cancer cases in some part of the country has been attributed to increased or use of wrong agrochemicals.
Profiteers are however least concerned about the effects of their illegal trade and will circumvent all the laws. This is why those charged with licensing and inspecting Agrovets must be extra vigilant.
The Pest Control Products Board should increase impromptu visits, especially in rural areas where traders take advantage of gullible farmers.
They should borrow a leaf from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council, which is always on the move cracking the whip on illegal hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
They should make use of vernacular radio stations to educate the public on the use of pesticides and the dangers of counterfeit.
Quote of the Day: “Life is an unbroken chain of discoveries.”
Gerhart Hauptmann
The German Nobel laureate was born on November 15, 1862
