Agric expert counsels beans exporters on insecticide application

 Dr John Olaoye, an Agriculture Engineer, on Tuesday urged beans exporters to always allow insecticides applied on beans for preservation to expire before export.

Olaoye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that a fundamental issue every exporter must note was that all insecticides had their own expiry periods and dates.

``Usually, if you put any insecticide on any produce or product, you must also wait for the insecticides to expire. They all have their own expiry period.

``There is the likelihood that if the insecticides expire, you may be fortunate to reduce the Acceptable Demand Level (ADL).

``But if you just put the insecticides and you want to export without waiting for it to expire, the residual effect will be too high that the produce will never be acceptable,’’ he said.

Olaoye said that the same caution must be taken in the beans we consume locally.

He said that some of the health challenges of some people might not be unconnected with what they consume.

``Just as the European Union (EU) is trying to protect its citizens, by not allowing produce that do not meet their standards, so also the Federal Government should take the health of its citizens into consideration.

``The beans we eat locally and the ones we export must have the same ADL,’’ he said.

According to him, health sector should also understand its role in this regard, and ensure that standards are followed.

He said that the health of the citizenry should also be important to us.

Olaoye advised that people should not just consume anything, but should eat only those things that were acceptable and approved. (