5 CHEMICALS APPROVED FOR COCOA SPRAYING (BAACK PAGE)

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have approved a list of five chemicals for use in mass spraying in cocoa growing areas against capsid (Akate) and black pod diseases.
According to the EPA, the five approved chemicals have been tested and found not to possess any health hazard or pose environmental dangers.
The EPA, however, said the ban on two other chemicals, Unden (popularly known as Gammalin 20) and Lindane was still in force.
The five approved chemicals are, Actara, Cocoprid, Akate Master, Confidor and Metalm.
Mr John Pwamang, Director of Chemicals Control and Management Centre of the EPA, reminded farmers that the two-year programme that encouraged them to hand over the two banned chemicals to COCOBOD elapsed last year.
He said for that reason, the banned chemicals, if found in possession of any farmer, would be confiscated.
Mr Pwamang pointed out that Lindane was being considered for listing among the 12 banned Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP), and explained that the characteristics of POPs included evidence that the half-life (duration) of the chemical in water could persist for more than two months, and its duration in soil greater than six months.
He said POPs could also accumulate in fisheries and other aquatic lives and these posed a high health risks when eaten by human beings.
He said the agency had also reviewed the lists of 212 approved chemicals that were for use in the country up to the year 2008 and indicated that the review for this year would be conducted soon so that those chemicals found to be toxic would be deleted from the list while those on which tests had been completed would be approved for use.
He said so far 25 chemicals remained banned in the country and these included the POPs and even those which were not POPs but were highly toxic for use by ordinary farmers without proper supervision.
Mr Pwamang appealed to companies and firms to consult the EPA when undertaking spraying exercises in markets, schools, hospitals and clinics, since not all chemicals were safe for spraying in open places and in water bodies and surroundings.