By Shola Abayomi.
The Federal Government, through the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned the sale of Sniper insecticide in open markets and supermarkets in the country.
The Agency’s Director, Veterinary Medicine and Allied Products Directorate, Dr. Bukar Usman, made the disclosure today while speaking at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.
Dr. Usman explained that the agency has cautioned agro-dealers to discontinue the sale of the product in open markets and supermarkets, adding that Sniper is an agro-cultural product meant to be used only in the farms and not for households.
He further clarified that the directive was not an outright ban of the product but a restrictive measure to streamline its use and availability to farms alone.
The director urged manufacturers and dealers to cooperate with NAFDAC to mop up the 100ml size of the product which was cheap and easily acquired, stressing that all agro-chemicals meant for farms should not be used in households, as there are other appropriate products for the control of mosquitoes and other household pests.