Pesticide licences up despite health concerns

The number of pesticide permits issued in the country has risen by 92 per cent in the last three years, data from the industry regulator shows.

This is amid mounting concerns over the potential impact of the chemicals on human and environmental health.

A recent report revealed that 32 per cent of the registered pesticides in Kenya have been withdrawn from the European market - where the bulk of the products registered in Kenya originate from - due to their toxicity and lack of data.

Last week, the US state of California banned the use of chlorpyrifos that is linked to brain damage in children. Its traces are found in 18 products in the Kenyan market.

Data from the Pesticides Control Products Board (PCPB) shows that the number of permits issued as of 2018 stood at 515 up from 268 in 2015.

PCPB governs the registration of pesticides and also processes and issues permit for their import and export.

The data spanning 2015 to 2018, also shows that applications for the permits for entry of pesticide products in the country rose by 63 per cent during the period under review.

A company provides PCPB with information on products it wants to introduce into the Kenyan market. Once satisfied, the board grants an experimental permit for local biological efficacy trial or other bridging trials.

Currently, 54 institutions are accredited by the board to carry out various trials.

PCPB says there are 1,747 products currently registered in the country with pesticides for crops topping the list at 1,452.

For the last 10 years, imported volumes of pesticides have ranged between 9,300 to 16,300 tonnes annually, according to the PCPB.

The value is estimated to be between Sh9.3-12.7 billion annually.