CropLife Nigeria Condemns the Continued Importation of Banned Pesticides into Nigeria, Calls for Urgent Regulatory Action

Martins Awofisayo
President, CropLife Nigeria

Members of the Nigerian press, ladies and gentlemen; I am making this press release on behalf of members of CropLife Nigeria (CLN) as the current President of the Association. We wish to express our deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the continued importation, circulation and use of banned pesticide products in Nigeria, including products such as PARAQUAT, CHLOPYRIFOS, DIQUAT and ATRAZINE, in circumstances where their use and importation is prohibited by NAFADAC who is the regulatory authorities since 2023. This is a matter that should concern every Nigerian.

It is not simply a problem affecting the pesticide industry. It affects public health, food safety, our environmental and ultimately, it’s a national agricultural security issue.

Nigeria has established regulatory institutions and laws designed to protect citizens and ensure that agricultural produce placed on the Nigerian market meets the required safety and quality standards. When products that are banned continued to enter and circulate in the markets and farming systems of our country, we must ask very serious questions:

We call on NAFDAC, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, security agencies and other relevant authorities to rise to this challenge and take decisive action.

• We need stronger surveillance at our ports and borders.
• We need effective market surveillance.
• We need coordinated enforcement operations.
• We need the authorities to identify and remove all banned pesticide products currently circulating in the market.

Most importantly, those responsible for the  importation and distribution of these products must be identified and made to face the full consequences of the law.

We cannot have a situation where regulations exist on ground while banned products continued to find their way into the Nigerian market.

Our members invests in regulatory compliance, product stewardship, farmer education, safe-use training and responsible distribution of registered and permitted products.

It is therefore unfair and economically damaging for legitimate businesses to compete with individuals and businesses that continue to import these banned products into the country.

This is the time for decisive action.

Nigeria cannot afford to become a dumping ground for banned pesticides.

We must close the loopholes. We must strengthen our borders. We must clean up our Markets and we must protect Nigerian farmers and consumers.

CropLife Nigeria is ready to work with NAFDAC and other government institutions to achieve this objective.

We are willing to provide technical support, strengthen farmer and Agro-dealer awareness, support responsible pesticide stewardship and collaborate with the authorities to improve compliance across the pesticide value chain.

No country can build a safe and sustainable agricultural sector while allowing banned pesticides to circulate freely in its markets.

The health of our citizens, the safety of our food, the protection of our environment, the welfare of our farmers and the survival of Nigeria’s legitimate agricultural input industry are at stake! Let’s act now!

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.