The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in Ghana has raised serious concerns over the rising misuse of agro-chemicals by vegetable farmers, warning that the practice is causing food poisoning and could lead to long-term health problems for consumers.
Speaking at a training session for farmers in the Bono Region, Madam Louisa Asantewaa, an Agriculture Officer at the Berekum West District, advised all vegetable farmers to seek professional guidance from Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) before applying any chemical products on their crops. She noted that the lack of consultation with trained officers has resulted in dangerous levels of chemical misuse.
“Research has shown that some of these chemicals, when wrongly applied, poison vegetables like tomato, garden eggs, and cabbage,” Madam Asantewaa said. She added that the consequences are alarming, linking the misuse of agro-chemicals to deformities and mental health issues in children, infertility among young women, and rising cases of kidney-related diseases.
The one-day training was organised at Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality, where over 55 vegetable farmers from the Brenyekwa Farmers Association took part. The programme was supported by the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) in partnership with the Kosmos Innovation Center and the Mastercard Foundation.
Madam Asantewaa highlighted a major challenge facing rural farmers: literacy. Many of them, she said, are unable to read the instructions written on agro-chemical containers. As a result, they apply these products without understanding the proper dosage or timing, which leads to food contamination. “This bad habit is not only dangerous to public health but also damages the reputation of our farm produce in the market,” she warned.
She appealed to farmers to stop using chemicals indiscriminately and rather consult AEAs, who are trained to guide them on the right products and application methods. “Saving lives must come first,” she stressed.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Benjamin Sarfo, Programmes Officer of PFAG, said the association is committed to supporting smallholder farmers across the country. He noted that farmers are facing many challenges including poor market access, climate change, and lack of access to farm inputs, and that education on safe farming practices is now more important than ever.
Mr Sarfo encouraged the farmers to form local cooperatives to strengthen their voices and improve their access to financial support, farming tools, and markets. “When farmers come together in cooperatives, they are stronger. They can negotiate better prices, share knowledge, and access loans more easily,” he explained.
Another speaker at the training, Mr Daniel Kofi Yeboah, a tomato farmer and facilitator, urged his fellow farmers to take climate patterns seriously and align their farming activities with expert advice. “If we ignore the extension officers and spray when we like or stake crops the wrong way, we will lose both our money and our harvest,” he warned.
The event was part of broader efforts to raise awareness about the safe use of agro-chemicals and promote food safety in the country. The organisers say more training sessions will be held in other districts to equip farmers with the skills they need to reduce post-harvest losses and produce healthier crops.
Public health experts have long warned about the dangers of chemical abuse in food production, urging government and stakeholders to intensify farmer education. In Ghana and across Africa, unsafe use of agro-chemicals has been linked to rising non-communicable diseases and loss of consumer trust in locally grown food.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture says it will continue to collaborate with farmer associations, NGOs, and development partners to build strong extension services that can reach even the most remote farming communities
