National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Taraba state office says the association of Agro-Input dealers has handed over to it fake and substandard agro inputs worth millions of Naira.
The information is contained in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr Abubakar Jimoh, and made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Jimoh stated that the gesture was part of the move to ensure that all distributors, marketers and retailers of agro input in the state got “listed” with the agency to avoid illegal marketers.
It added that it was also geared toward avoiding distribution of substandard and falsified agro input in the state and also to flush out inappropriate use of agrochemicals such as spraying directly on grains and other food substances for preservation.
“The association, in yielding to the request and encouragement of the agency, has handed over fake, substandard and falsified agro inputs, mostly chemicals, worth millions of Naira to members of staff of NAFDAC Taraba State office.
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“The event which took place at the secretariat of the union on June 26, saw the secretary of the union, Mr Kwafa Manas, and it chairman, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed, giving out some facts and methods on ways to easily identify falsified agrochemicals,’’ he said.
According to him, among the falsified products handed over are: Glyphosate 522L, Paraquate 131L, 24D 70L, Atrazin Liquid 31L, Butachlor Liquid 33L, Selective for Rice 12L, Atrazin Powder 139 Sachets and Butachlor Powder 411 Sachets.
Others were Insecticides 32L, Selective for Maize 16L, Liquid Fertilizer 42L, Seed Dress 108 Sachets, Maize Seed 5 Sachets respectively.
He said the Taraba coordinator of NAFDAC in the company of other members of staff of the agency thanked the union and encouraged them not to relent in their support to the agency as the benefit was mutual both for the agency and for genuine dealers.
According to him, the state coordinator frowned at the situation where only 10 per cent of genuine agro input dealers in the state were accredited through mandatory ‘listing’ of all agro inputs dealers.
The coordinator noted that low accreditation of genuine members had made regulation of agro inputs marketers very difficult and appealed to union leaders to extend their collaboration with NAFDAC to get their members listed as soon as possible.
