Some agricultural experts have warned local farmers about the misuse of agrochemicals in crop cultivation.

The farmers raised the alarm about the misuse of agrochemicals in separate interviews on Thursday in Lagos.

A strategic agriculture communication expert, Olawale Ismail, explained that agrochemicals cannot be completely boycotted in crop cultivation; rather, their use must be restricted.

He urged the farmers to ensure strict adherence to technical measurement and safety rules.

Omotunde Banjoko, an agricultural analyst and farmer, said farmers could adopt organic farming systems rather than chemical-intensive farming systems.

“To boycott the use of agrochemicals, we will have to start adopting what is called the organic mode of agriculture, where we use biological means to control pests, biological means to fertilise the crops, and then the best practice in agriculture generally.

“So, it’s possible, though it might not be 100 per cent in most cases, because you might still need to maybe use one or two things that are non-natural, but at least it can be greatly reduced.
“However, even in most markets, both local and international, products of organic grade are always more expensive than the inorganic, so we must also be ready for the price variation,” Mr Banjoko said.

(NAN)