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Up to 90 per cent of the farmers I spoke to admit using banned pesticides on their vegetables and fruits which end up in the stomachs of Sabah's 3.3 million people. Selvaraja Somiah
I crisscrossed all over Sabah during the recent March 8th General Election, whilst campaigning for a friend and his political party which had 14 indigenous candidates contesting. Jokes aside, all the candidates lost their deposits and I shall write about this another time. But for now, let me just stick to pesticides, a subject very close to my heart.
During campaign, I took the opportunity to feel and see first hand the agricultural transformation taking place in the Land Below The Wind. I saw vast tracks of land cleared for oil palm cultivation all over and the severe adverse effects of deforestation on indigenous people and the haphazard ways of pesticide usage. I came away with a strange sense of helplessness and frustration, indeed appalling, as in the past.
I interviewed close to a hundred farmers and visited countless vegetable and fruit farms that cater supplies to all over Sabah. Saw the pesticides in use. Visited oil palm estates/plantations and their pesticide stores - some with the knowledge of their owners or managers but many without any consent from the owners (please don't ask how I did it!).
What I'm going to reveal here may frighten many Sabahans.
Up to 90 per cent of the farmers I spoke to admit using banned pesticides on their vegetables and fruits which end up in the stomachs of Sabah's 3.3 million people.
And why do these farmers use banned pesticides? They use it because it is more effective than permitted pesticides and have been doing so since Usno days.
During Usno days I, too, was a culprit. I was supplying banned stuff to farmers in Sabah. I am sorry for this, but it was a long time ago when I was still in the industry and chasing profits without being overly concerned about human health.
I have since regretted but banned pesticide use is still happening now.
In my letter to Forum on 9 July, 2006 "Cannot Shut Eye On Pesticide Sales" I talked about an agrochemical dealer in Tawau who was caught and jailed for selling stolen fertiliser and chemicals and who is still operating in the market and another dealer, also in Tawau, who was supplying close to RM1 million worth of adulterated pesticide to Sama Subur, a semi-government body.
And, of course, many more out there, with a dark past and who are still in the industry supplying pesticides.
The only consolation for Sabahans is that farmers using banned pesticides usually stop using these dangerous chemicals on their crops when it is close to harvesting time. They spray the pesticides on their crops twice a week during the 3-month period while their crops are growing. About 20 days before harvesting, they switch to the permitted pesticides.
And where do the farmers get the banned pesticides? These could be bought from any local agrochemical dealer in Sabah who, in turn, get their stocks from Thailand through agents in West Malaysia.
There are about 15 types of such pesticides available in the market including the brands of Super Mac, Lannate, Naporex and Vertimec, which cost between RM80 and RM400, depending on weight and quantity of active ingredient.
At least 80 per cent of the vegetables and fruits are consumed in Sabah and the rest to Brunei and West Malaysia. The crop meant for Brunei and West Malaysia would be treated with fewer pesticides and washed thoroughly before they are packed and sent.
Sometime back, my brother in law a major fresh fruit distributor mainly cavendish banana and pamelo to Brunei told me his fellow supplier from Tenom, also to Brunei, of honeydew melon, said, even the outer skin of the honeydew melon has got so much pesticides sprayed on it that on feeding just the outer skin of the honeydew melon to his pet rabbits, had all his 10 rabbits dying of poisoning. He was to paranoid to talk to anyone about this. Just imagine this! I was disgusted when I heard this.
In the face of the evidence I have provided you, it is certainly funny to know that the Federal Agriculture and Agrobased Industry indicates that only less than 5pc of all fresh fruits and vegetables sold in Malaysia contain high pesticides. This information comes from the Health Ministry.
Even more funny is a press release from the Director of the Food Quality Control Division of the Health Ministry entitled "No Excessive Pesticide In Greens." In this letter the Director of the Food Quality Control Division of the Health Ministry provides data on the significant reduction in the contravention of permissible pesticide residue levels in food over the years.
But the data provided does not have detailed sampling and testing plan for pesticide residues. In fact, since the 90's I have been requesting for these details and have even written many times for the authorities to provide these details.
But this was never entertained. Let me again ask the authorities to please provide the raw data on the number of samples collected, matched with the breakdown by PRODUCTS, the location where these individual samples were collected, the pesticides that were tested and the respective results.
Only such information would allow the public to know whether samples covered all the key vegetable and fruit products, the areas where the products are from and also what were the specific pesticides tested.
The public should not be merely given some general information that does not address the issues at all.
Even on the Food Quality Division website, it stated that "However, laboratories can provide only 12pc of the Maximum Residue Limits set pesticides, which find it difficult to conduct monitoring on pesticide residues in agriculture products."
Hence based on just this statement, it would mean that only about 25 of the more than 200 pesticides listed on the Food Act could be tested.
What about the remaining 175 pesticides and what is there to ensure that they are not present in our vegetables and fruits?
The authorities are morally and ethically obliged to reveal detailed information on the sampling and testing plan together with the results of the last few years and also the numbers of pesticides that can be tested.
The authorities should also provide information on when sampling and testing were done. Testing should be done continuously throughout the year, at the source i.e. the farms as well as the Tamus and markets or any other points of sale. I doubt this is done in Sabah as my recent chance visit to Sabah confirmed.
New State Agriculture Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin should take a serious view on pesticide use on our agricultural crops. If he needs input from me, I would be more than glad to provide for the sake of the well being of the people in Sabah. This is the best I can do to make up for being a reckless and sinful pesticides dealer in Sabah decades ago.
The decisions Yahya makes will reinforce Sabahans' views that the Federal Government is serious about resolving the pesticide problem in Sabah.
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