By Fatima Saka
Agriculture experts have equipped the farmers with insight on how to apply agrochemicals to prevent negative effects on the produce and soil.
The Chief Executive Officer of Farm Help Agro Stores, Ms Ifeoluwa Oyeyemi, provided the farmers with the useful information during an interview on Friday in Lagos, that farmers should read labels on agrochemicals they purchase carefully before application.
“We urge farmers before applying any additives or chemicals to their crops during cultivation to carefully read the labels.
“When they purchase agrochemicals, they must read to understand the major components of what they are buying.
“They must know the active ingredient it contains and how it affects crop health before application to avoid chemical residue in the produce.
“They must learn how to apply these agrochemicals, farmers must know the measurement for each plant so as to reduce the residual effect on the crop and the soil.
“The time of withdrawal must also be specified, it’s written on the label of every agrochemical.
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“There is a Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI) for every crop, this provides the time the crops are suitable for harvest post agrochemical application.
“That is why it is important that farmers carefully go through these labels, that is why it is written in simple English and interpreted in various local languages,” the expert said.
Oyeyemi noted that over dosage of agrochemicals on crops have negative resultant effects hence the need to adhere to the description on the label.
“It is unfortunate that most local farmers are so lazy to read the labels on the agrochemicals but it is important they go through it to avoid negative effects on the crops, soil and consumption.”
According to her, most farmers waste energy and income spraying the wrong agrochemicals which in the long run amount to losses because they lack an understanding on how it works.
In spraying pesticides farmers should spray moderately because you cannot rid the plants of the pest at once.
Most times they spray above the specified quantity because they want quick results without considering the residual effects of the agrochemicals.
Oyeyemi added that, over spraying results in overdose, when agrochemicals are sprayed moderately, they will not have any negative effects on the crops or the environment.
