Mr Abbey Samuel Kwame, the Chief Farmer of Okurase community in the Upper-West Akyem Constituency of the Eastern Region has expressed displeasure about the negative impacts of weedicides on farmers.
Speaking to Ghana News Agency, Mr Abbey said continuous application of weedicide especially for four days on the farm land resulted in temporal impotence of the soil.
He said the major benefits of weedicides was controlling of weeds in the growing of crops and ensured the efficient use of irrigation.
He said weeding either by hoe or cutlass was one of the major exercises for subsistence farmers in rural communities but since the introduction of weedicide, they have desisted from it.
This, he said, was contributing to body weaknesses.
Mr Abbey said weedicide had impeded the growth of organic mushroom on farm lands leading to scarcity on the market.
He said there were considerable varieties of weedicides but their effects remained the same.
He mentioned Run Up, Sunfulcide, Condemn, Edwumawura as the varieties they apply on the farm land.
He added that an in-depth research to evaluate the various chemicals weedicide contain was something the manufacturers and the Ministry Food and Agriculture (MoFA) must take a second look to be able to address their concerns.
Mr Kwaku Quaye, a subsistence farmer said weedicide killed living organisms such as snails and earthworms.
He said it grew spirogyras on the earth surfaces making the land slippery and compels tuber crops to rot.
He indicated that some of the weedicide effects could be lost over the raining season and could offer less weed control in the first dry season, when compared with post-planting applications in the harmattan.
Mr Treveh George, a cash crop farmer in the Asuotwene community said it gave skin infections when a drop touched the skin in the process of spraying.
According to him, the methods of application appeared to be a challenge among farmers and therefore called on MoFA and manufacturers to organise rural training programme to address their challenges.
