Agrofood professionals under CropLife Nigeria have called for the passage of a comprehensive pesticide bill to regulate the industry and deepen sensitisation on the implications of Maximum Residue Limits in agricultural products.
The stakeholders also demanded mandatory training and certification of agro-dealers, agricultural extension workers, and other operators across the value chain to curb the misuse of pesticides and improve food safety.
They made the call during the recent 2026 Annual General Meeting of CropLife Nigeria held in Lagos, where members also elected a new executive committee.
The outgoing President of CropLife Nigeria, David Achimugu, said the proposed legislation would address gaps from product registration to field application practices.
He said, “The goal is to have an all-encompassing law to govern the pesticide industry in Nigeria that will address all issues and challenges of the industry from product registration to Good Agricultural Practices involving mandatory training and certification of agro-dealers, agricultural extension workers, and other relevant stakeholders.
“The bill, when established, will also provide a veritable platform for advocacy backed by law, which is especially important in our engagement with the international community and policy formulators.”
Achimugu added that rising cases of food contamination and rejection of agricultural exports due to high pesticide residues underscored the urgency of stronger regulation and training.
He said, “As a result of reported incessant cases of food contamination and rejection of agricultural commodities due to high pesticide residues arising from gross misuse and abuse of instructions on product labels, coupled with poor knowledge and skills of stakeholders, CropLife Nigeria in collaboration with NAFDAC set up a special-purpose stewardship committee to train agrochemical dealers across Nigeria, and we have covered close to four regions to date.”
