Stewardship - CropLife · PDF fileStewardship IPM Training for ... Francis Alelumhe,...

Number 133

January 2017

CropLife Africa Middle East

Newsletter

Representing the Plant Science Industry

Stewardship

IPM Training for SSPs in Côte d’Ivoire

Ninety active SSPs in the cocoa sector of Côte d’Ivoire, in

the areas of Bayota, Bouaflé, Ebilassokro and Niablé

underwent an IPM training on 12 – 17 December.

This initiative was part of the roll-out of IPM into the SSP

program. The workshops comprised of classroom sessions

during the day-1 followed by a field session on the second

day.

The objective was to demonstrate the importance and

benefits of IPM in pest identification and on monitoring. To

this end topics covered focused on cocoa pests and

diseases, basics of IPM, monitoring principles, toxicity of

pesticides, labels and pictograms, responsible use, residues

and MRLs, application, fake pesticides and associated risks.

The field session focused on spraying equipment and

maintenance, PPE, calibration, measuring and mixing

pesticides, management of empty containers and record

keeping.

Above & Below: Participants during practical group work exercises in identifying pests and diseases in cocoa fields.

Bama Yao


CropLi fe Afr ica Middle East Newslet ter Number 133

January 2017

Graduation of 120 SSPs with Propcom in Nigeria

A total of 120 Spray Service Providers (SSPs)

graduated just before Christmas in Jigawa and

Kaduna state in Nigeria. The group had undergone

their first SSP training in November and December

2016 and passed both tests which qualifies them as

SSPs. The SSPs are part of the project that CropLife

Nigeria is implementing with the support of the

Propcom Mai-Karfi project.

The program in Kaduna state took place on 19 and

20 December 2016, and in Jigawa state on 20

December 2016. In addition to the 120 SSPs that

graduated, also present were the Emir of Markafi,

the Emir of Ikara, a representative of the Emir of

Hadeija, representatives of the Ministry of

Agriculture, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria

(RIFAN), the All Farmers Association of Nigeria

(AFAN), several other farmers’ organizations,

Propcom, field staff of member companies: Candel,

Harvestfield, Watcot, and CropLife Nigeria.

During the graduation ceremony, all SSPs received

their badge that approves them as an SSP trained by

CropLife Nigeria. In addition, all received a full set of

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided by

the project. 109 SSPs also received knapsack

sprayers purchased at a special price offered by

Harvestfield. In the speeches that were made by the

Emirs, Propcom and CropLife Nigeria, the SSPs

were officially introduced to the farming community,

and it was stressed that making use of SSPs, will

help farmers to better control pests and diseases.

CropLife Nigeria signed a contract with the Propcom

Mai-Karfi project to set up a network of Spray

Service Providers (SSP) in Jigawa, Kaduna, and

Kano state. During the project, a total of 165 SSPs

will be trained who will serve at least 4,200 farmers,

growing maize, soybean, rice and tomato. The SSPs

for Kano state will be trained in January 2017.

Propcom Mai-Karfi is a program funded by the

United Kingdom’s Department for International

Development (DFID) that aims to increase income

for the poor through enhanced employment

opportunities in Northern Nigeria. The project is

implemented by Palladium International

Development Nigeria. Owing to its focus on (youth)

employment and increased income, the project

showed an interest in the SSP concept which

creates job opportunities for youth and will increase

the income of farmers through higher yields with the

better application of pesticides.

Manon Mireille Dohmen

Several of the SSPs with the director of the Atafi farmers’ group (in purple), the

AFAN state chairman (in white) and RIFAN state Chairman (in brown)

Representative of the farmers’ organization (left) handing out PPE to one of the graduated SSPs (right)

SSPs in Kaduna state



January 2017

Training of SSPs in Mali

36 Candidate SSPs from Ségou, Markala and Niono underwent

training on 13 – 16 December. The training workshop was organized

following the ToT under the IFDC-2SCALE project to support

vegetables production in the region of Ségou.

The following topics were covered during the program.

Pests and diseases of vegetable crops in Mali.

Types of pesticides used in Mali.

Labels, toxicological bands and toxicological classes.

Counterfeit and illegal pesticides and associated risks,

Selecting the right pesticide.

The importance and types of PPE.

Management and disposal of empty containers.

Transport and storage of pesticides.

The workings of a knapsack sprayer.

Nozzle types and calibration of a knapsack sprayer

Measuring and mixing of pesticides.

Basics of IPM.

Record keeping

The practical session focused on parts and maintenance of sprayers,

wearing and removing PPE, measuring and mixing, calibration of

sprayers, triple-rinsing and puncturing of empty containers, how to

keep records of the activities.

Following the strict evaluation tests, only 29 candidates were regarded

competent. Several participants failed due to low literacy. A second

session will be organized to meet the required number of 36 SSPs for

the project.

Various parts of a sprayer being demonstrated (Above) and wearing of PPE (Below)

Group Photo at the conclusion of the

training

Bama Yao



January 2017

Cassava SSPs are ready to sell services in Nigeria

“I cannot wait to sell my services. Farmers will soon start with their land preparations so I can apply herbicides for them”, says

Rafiu Saheed Adejare. He is one of the SSPs that graduated on 12 January 2017 in Oyo state, Nigeria. During the ceremony, a

total of 24 SSPs were officially introduced to the farming community, which consists mainly of cassava farmers.

SSP Adejare proudly shows off his badge. He admits that the training program was not easy: “We learned so much. One of the

most interesting things that I learned is that I now know how to use pesticides without hurting myself or the environment. I

learned that we should take the empty containers away from the farm and that I should not transport any other items, especially

food, when I transport pesticides.”

All SSPs belong to a farmers’ group that produces cassava that is purchased by Psaltry International Ltd., processing company.

Psaltry sells the cassava starch to Nigerian Breweries Plc. who uses this in the brewing process of Goldberg and Star Lite beer.

The linkages between Psaltry and the farmers is made by the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) as part of their

Towards Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship (2Scale) project. CropLife signed a contract

with 2Scale last year to train 24 SSPs as a pilot to ensure that pesticide applications to the cassava is undertaken in a

responsible way and that residue levels are well below the Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs).

Cassava Coordinator, Francis Alelumhe, acknowledges that SSPs had a lot to learn. “We saw that farmers who apply pesticides

to their own cassava crops, apply the wrong product at the wrong time; they use post-emergent herbicides when they should

apply pre-emergent and vice versa. They do not follow the recommendations on the label and then complain that the herbicide

does not work.” Alelumhe expects that farmers will be interested in hiring the services of the SSPs. “Farmers are already using

hired labor to apply pesticides for them. However, they use people who are not trained. They see a guy with a knapsack sprayer

and think that this guarantees that he is knowledgeable and capable. Unfortunately, sometimes these guys do more harm than

good.”

SSPs Rafiu Saheed Adejare (left) and Sanni Adekunle (right) are ready to start selling their services

Lanre Oladele of Harvestfield selling his products to interested farmers



January 2017

Lanre Oladele of Harvestfield, also attended the ceremony with one of his colleagues. Harvestfield is one of the most involved

member companies in many of the SSP projects that CropLife Nigeria has been implementing since 2013. Although he cannot

mention sales figures, he confirms that sales have significantly increased with the introduction of the SSPs. “Our fungicides for

cocoa are selling better than ever.

As Harvestfield, we participate in every SSP project implemented by CropLife Nigeria. Owing to these projects, we meet

farmers’ groups we would normally never reach. In addition, we have trained an additional 15,000 cocoa SSPs. All of them

service at least 10 farmers per season and they all use our products. For us, the SSP concept is the best project CropLife ever

did.”

During the graduation ceremony, each SSP received a full set of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a ledger for record

keeping and a badge that approves them as a trained SSP. The ceremony was attended by representatives of IFDC, Psaltry,

the cassava farmers’ organization, CropLife Nigeria member companies, the National Coordinator of CropLife Nigeria, the

Training Coordinator of CropLife Africa Middle East, and more than 100 farmers from nearby communities.

The chairman of the farmers’ organization stressed in his speech that the SSP concept offers a wonderful opportunity for youth

to set up their own business and make some extra money. SSP Sanni Akin Adekunle already knows what he is going to do with

the extra money: “I want to expand my farm and I want to support my family. I will work hard to reach my goals and after this

training program, I know I can do it.”

Manon Mirelle Dohmen

Group Photo



January 2017

Meeting of the PR-PICA Steering Committee

Members of the Steering committee met in Lomé, Togo, on 15-16 December. This was the 24th meeting (the second for the

year) of the Regional Program for the Integrated Protection of Cotton in Africa (Programme Regional de Protection Intégrée du

Cotonnier en Afrique, PR-PICA). The meeting was organized to discuss the activities carried out during 2016 and to adopt the

action plan for 2017.

Following the official opening by the Director General of the cotton company of Togo, La Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo

(NSCT), the following topics were placed on the agenda:

The adoption of the 2016 technical and financial reports. The participation of PR-PICA at the WCA annual workshop of

CropLife AME and the presentation and discussions covered.

The adoption of the 2017 action plan (activities and related budget). PR-PICA and CropLife AME should consider the

setting-up of a SSP and a container management program in the cotton sector in member states of PR-PICA.

Information exchange on the crop year 2016-17 which shows an increase in acreage and plantings in all countries

except Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal where the rain onset was delayed. A low-level infestation was noted therefore an

increase in yield is expected which may be around 1 ton/ha.

The organization of the 10th annual meeting of the PR-PICA which will be in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on April 26-28, 2017

The draft MoU between PR-PICA and the Association of Producers of Cotton in Africa (AProCA) was discussed and

approved, and should go for signature.

Group photo of participants (Above) and a view of participants during the work session (Below Left). Courtesy PR-PICA.

Bama Yao



January 2017

Regulatory

Capacity Building Workshop for the Pesticides Committee of Côte d’Ivoire

Participants included 25 members of the Pesticides Committee (inter - ministerial comprising 12 ministries) responsible for

pesticide registration, together with the registration officers of member companies of CropLife Côte d’Ivoire, who met in Abidjan

on 19 December.

The sensitization and training of the Pesticide Committee is part of the ongoing IP and Anti-Counterfeiting promotion program

in the country under the cooperation between CropLife Côte d’Ivoire and the Directorate of Crop Protection, Control and

Quality of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (DPVCQ).

Following the welcome message by the Regional Director of CropLife AME and the opening address by the Director of DPVCQ

the participants were briefed on:

Pesticides and the importance of a well functioning regulatory system (R. Yeboue, Executive Director, CropLife CI)

emphasizing on the role of agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire, the performance of the agricultural sector and the important

contribution of pesticides towards yields and quality of the production. The need for protection of intellectual property

rights (IP) including patents and and regulatory data (PRD).

Registration in Côte d’Ivoire, as in other countries, is essential for the management of pesticides. This process ensures

the safety for man and the environment and the efficacy of registered products. It also allows the authorities to control

pesticide uses.

He also referred to the importance of the “Risk” approach versus “Hazard”, MRLs, the PHI and sound assessment for

regulatory decision-making.

Pesticide regulations in Côte d’Ivoire (Bah Boni, Registration and Certification Officer, DPVCQ) referred to the laws and

decrees on pesticides. The first decree (89-02 of 04th January 1989) relates to the authorization by the Pesticide

Committee and covers the registration of pesticides, the activities and subsequent control measures. The definition of a

pesticide was therefore defined by the Pesticide Committee comprising of 12 Ministries including the steps needed for

an application, decisions and notifications, the certification of distributors and applicators. Provisions relate to the

control, inspection and related sanctions.

A recent decree (509/MINAGRI/MEMIS of 11th November 2014) relates to border control activities to be carried out by

the Joint Committee involving agents and pesticide inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

(MINADER) and the agents of the Ministry of Interior and Security (Prefets, Secretaries General and Sub-Prefets and

the police). The list of control points throughout the country was provided. Reference was also made on another decree

to be signed which creates a Regional Pesticide Committee to be chaired by the Prefet or Sub-Prefet and comprising

the key stakeholders involved in the pesticide business and management at the regional level. The mission of such a

committee is to sensitize, educate and inform stakeholders on various issues and particularly the illegal trade of

pesticides and related consequences.

The West Africa Pesticide Registration Committee (WAPRC), the regional framework under ECOWAS was also

referred to with the setting-up of the National Pesticide Committee (Comité Ivoirien de Gestion des Pesticides, CIGP).

The role and responsibility of CIGP and the relationship with WAPRC.

Illegal pesticides and the subsequent threats to the agricultural sector (R. Yeboue, Executive Director, CropLife CI)

provided a definition of illegal pesticides comprising of counterfeit products, non-registered, banned and expired

products, which have proliferated the markets during past years. He then indicated that counterfeit products, through

any means are undertaken by criminals, mostly local, although some illegal pesticides enter the country from

neighbouring countries particularly Ghana. Illegal pesticides do not undergo any form of testing and present a range of

health, environmental and economic concerns.



January 2017

These include:

Human health as they may contain toxic

impurities therefore posing a risk to the

operator. Also residues may be found at

time of harvest.

The environment, impacting on both, the

current and follow-up crops, surface and

underground water and non-target

organisms

Economic losses and social impact

relating to taxes which cannot be

collected, loss of sales by the legally

established companies leading to

divestments and subsequent job losses.

Loss of credibility to the pesticide industry

by farmers who no longer trust legitimate

products leading to the undermining

investment in stewardship and innovation.

IP and Access to Innovations (G. Liabra, President

CropLife CI) focused on IP in plant protection with

patents, copy rights, trade marks, and protection of

regulatory data (PRD) comprising security and

efficacy data and CBI under TRIPs. The benefits

of PRD were then explained, the process by which

new active substances are developed, and the

consequences if no PRD is in place. Some recom-

mendations were then provided based on CropLife

guidance with a 10 year protection for the safety

and efficacy data and a lifetime protection for CBI

together with some measures to be put in place

such as a process at country and regional levels.

Following the discussions the following recommendations

were made:

The formalization of an annual meeting of

a CropLife-Pesticides Committee to

discuss relevant issues

Pursuing the ongoing program to train

border control agents.

Training and involvement of transport

(trucking) companies in the fight against

illegal pesticides.

Link to the national obsolete project

(PROGEP-CI) to jointly organize a

meeting with parliament.

Develop stricter measures against

offenders.

Bama Yao

Director of DPVCQ

Partial views of participants being addressed by the President, G. Liabra (Below) and the Executive Director R. Yeboue (Aboe).



January 2017

In order to improve on the gains made during the drafting of the new

pesticide regulations, a forum to update technical staff of member

companies on product registration requirements was convened on 2

December, 2016 in Nairobi. The key speakers were drawn from the Pest

Control Products Board (PCPB). The aim was to give an overview of the

registration process as mandated and to inform participants on pending

changes.

The PCPB team led by Dr. Ngaruiya, head of registrations gave an overview

of what it entails to register a pesticide in Kenya. The categories of products

which are subject to registration were given as: those used in agriculture for

weed control, crop pests and diseases, those used in animal health for tick

control and those used in public health for cockroach, mosquito and rodent

control. All could either be conventional or bio pesticides.

Registration begins with the approval of a local agent before the importation

of any materials. This is followed by a submission of an application for

registration accompanied by a product technical dossier. Imports for

research / screening purposes must pass through the same process. If the

product is to be formulated in Kenya, the dossier on the technical grade

material plus additives must first be submitted for approval before

formulation starts.

The dossier is subjected for a completeness check; it’s then presented to the

technical and registration committee of the PCPB. The committee in turn

makes recommendations to the PCPB Board which on approval gives an

experimental permit which subsequently leads to trials undertaken

Efficacy and residue trials are required to be carried out at an accredited

institution. The institution chosen will depend on the product being registered

since some organizations have the sole mandate to perform efficacy trials

for specific crops. The accreditation of organizations as trial sites is based

on the organizations’ resource capacity, available equipment, office space

and staff management. Trials are undertaken over 2-3 growing seasons for

new products as well as for label extensions of existing products. All CPP’s

will be subjected to chemical analysis to ensure compliance with standards.

Ms. Stella Simiyu Wafukho of CropLife Africa Middle East (CLAME) gave a

presentation on emerging policy issues affecting the Agrochem industry. Of

main concern was the seeming shift from risk based to hazard based

regulatory decisions affecting availability of crop protection solutions.

Stella Wafuko from CLAME

Dr. Wagate from PCPB

Dr. Ngaruiya, Head of Registrations at PCPB

Evelyn Lusenaka, CropLife

Kenya CEO

The issues are endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), International Agency of Research on

Cancer (IARC) Monographs program, Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), pollinator health.

She urged regulators to continue to base their decisions on risk assessment and not give in

to what some groups are propagating. She encouraged all stakeholders to especially be keen

on ongoing discussions on EDCs at the EU level which depending on how the final criteria to

define EDCs will look like may affect the availability of crop protection products and the

implementation of FAO/WHO HHPs guidelines, which requires strong involvement of all

stakeholders.

In conclusion, the meeting recommended that similar workshops for technical staff will be

held more frequently to provide updates on current issues affecting the regulatory

environment. Members were urged to regularly visit the AAK website/ social media pages for

updates. It was also agreed that crop groupings for the purpose of efficacy trials will be given

priority in 2017. Benson Ngigi

CropLife Kenya holds forum to sensitize Members on Regulatory Issues



January 2017

Reduction of Counterfeit Pesticides - High on the Agenda of Many CropLife National

Associations

A Summary of Activities in Key Countries

Several CropLife national associations implemented anti-counterfeiting activities in 2016. The main objectives were to make

stakeholders and responsible government authorities aware of the problem and related risks with illegal and counterfeit

pesticides, including, economic risks to national economy due to bans on crops treated with counterfeit pesticides; to work with

government authorities to prosecute those selling and distributing illegal and counterfeit pesticides; to get a better understanding

and detect the source of counterfeit pesticides including incoming ports, and local distributors selling illegal products, and to

raise awareness and knowledge at the farmer/user level to refrain from purchasing illegal and fake pesticides.

Counterfeit and illegal pesticides continue to be the fastest growing “competitor” for suppliers of legal pesticides in Africa Middle

East. Their combined share is estimated to be bigger than any of the leading multinationals, based on feedback from member

companies of CropLife national associations. Most national associations estimate between 15% and 20% counterfeits in the

pesticide market, with some extreme situations suggesting 40% to 80%. Hot spots are certain regions in Egypt, Ghana, Uganda,

Tanzania and Malawi.

One of the reasons that farmers buy counterfeit products is because they have difficulty in accessing good quality legal

products. Often legal products are only sold in larger towns while the rural areas are serviced by mobile dealers who in addition

to pesticides, sell different products, ranging from batteries to toothpaste. Therefore, CropLife Africa Middle East actively

promotes the Spray Service Providers (SSP) concept in which farmers who have received special application training, sell their

application services to fellow farmers. One of the key elements of the SSP concept is that each SSP is directly linked to member

companies of the CropLife national association to guarantee access to legal pesticides.

Because the SSP lives in the same community as the farmers, it is not very likely that the SSP will be dishonest because of the

negative consequences including losing business as an SSP and in a worst-case scenario, be expelled from the community. In

addition, SSPs are trained in the application and responsible use in the handling of pesticides, and have in general, a much

better knowledge on pesticides than dealers that roam the communities with their products. SSPs are also trained on the risks of

using counterfeit products and on how to recognize such products.

Through the SSPs, awareness is created among farmers on counterfeit pesticides, and because SSPs are triple rinsing and

puncturing the empty containers, these cannot be used any longer to be refilled with fake products. To date, more than 100,000

farmers have been reached through the SSP program. At the moment, there are active SSP programs in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt,

Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia.

In addition to setting up networks of SSPs, other interventions took place in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda

with the financial support of CropLife and partner organizations.



January 2017

Côte d’Ivoire

CropLife Côte d’Ivoire has always played a very active role in anti-counterfeiting activities. Since the development of the special

anti-counterfeiting course of CropLife Africa Middle East to train custom officers, Côte d’Ivoire trained more than 100 officers

each year. In 2016, a total of 211 participants from several law enforcement agencies were trained in the consequences of

counterfeit pesticides and how to identify these.

The responses during the program were very positive. Participants were actively involved and asked many questions. They saw

the need for cooperation and coordinated joint activities to combat these criminal activities which jeopardize and put the

economy at risk, since they now have the knowledge and legal tools to check for unregistered and fake products.

A workshop was organized in February 2016 in Yamoussoukro in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development. The aim of the program was to ensure that the country’s pesticide regulations were disseminated to the key

stakeholders in the 31 administrative regions following the numerous training sessions undertaken in recent years.

Impact

Although no official impact assessment was done, CropLife Côte d’Ivoire received some positive feedback on the impact of

activities. Member companies of CropLife Côte d’Ivoire indicated they have improved their sales over the past 2 years as an

indirect result of the reduction of counterfeit products on the market. Customs officers and agents see and deal less with

transboundary pesticides during their normal control procedures. Enforcement agencies (customs, pesticide inspectors,

Regional officers of Ministry Agriculture, police) and retailers confirm less illegal pesticides on the market.

A ministerial decree is to be signed shortly to create a Regional Pesticides Committee involving key local stakeholders. The

committee will be under the chairmanship of the Prefect and the Secretary to be assigned to the Regional Director of MINADER.

The objective is to manage the anti-counterfeiting issue locally through education, information and overall sensitization of the

problem.



January 2017

Egypt

CropLife Egypt is a member of the Agricultural Pesticide Committee (APC) which is actively creating awareness among farmers,

agro dealers and other stakeholders on the consequences of counterfeit pesticides.

The Ministry of Agriculture announced in January 2016 that it would intensify its raids to confiscate counterfeit pesticides. Over a

period of 5 months during 2016, the following was undertaken: closure of 658 unlicensed retail shops; seizure of 2,500 tons of

pesticides and fertilizers; raids on 3 big factories in Nubaria and Burg Elarab repacking counterfeit products; and seizure of 50

tons smuggled pesticides at a farm in the Badr village. All cases are still in the courts and the seized products are under custody

of the owner who cannot move any of this until the court has ruled on the issue.

CropLife Egypt trained, in collaboration with the APC, 50 customs officers in Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. Discussions

focused on how to identify fake products, the necessary documentation for the importation of pesticides, and who to be

contacted in cases of counterfeit products found. In general, participants were very positive about the program and

acknowledged that most information was new to them.

A further 3 programs were organized to sensitize 40 representatives of farmers’ organizations, 150 pesticide retailers and

surveillance officers, and all members of the APC on counterfeit pesticides.

CropLife Egypt has seen over the years that several stakeholders, including those in the public sector, take the problem of

counterfeiting in the agricultural sector very seriously. The issue of counterfeiting, features more and more on the agenda and

media coverage (television, print and press) and there is a new decree to intensify legal actions against counterfeit products.

Screen shot of the web-site of APC (www. apc.gov.eg) which also provides information in English in addition to Arabic.



January 2017

Ghana

CropLife Ghana became a member of the Committee on

Sub-Standard Agrochemicals that was set up in early 2016 by the

Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture to address counterfeit

pesticides in the country. Other members are the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and

the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA). A roadmap was drawn up to

address the most important issues. Action points are that regulators

will train many more pesticide inspectors, and raids will be undertaken

by enforcement agencies in identified hot-spots. In addition, a

workshop will be organized with all importers.

In addition, CropLife Ghana trained 60 customs officers on the

consequences and identification of counterfeit pesticides. Ton date,

210 officers (including those trained in 2016) from 5 of the 6 regions

with borders to neighboring countries have benefited from the

program. In another region, 150 farmers from different farmers’

organizations were trained.

The secretariat of CropLife Ghana recently held a planning session in

which it was agreed that the association should be a lot more active in

anti-counterfeiting activities. The first step is to discuss with the EPA

on how to intensify raids to confiscate counterfeit pesticides.

From left to right: Sam Adukumi (Registrar of CCMC/EPA), Minister's Special Assistant), Alhaji Yakubu Alhasan (Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Chairman of the Sub-Standard Committee), Fred Boampong (CropLife Ghana).

CropLife Uganda has always been an extremely active partner organization and was directly involved in several of the activities

to reduce counterfeit pesticides in the country, including public events for agro-dealers and farmers, agro dealer’s fairs, mass

media programs, and the setting up of a network of SSPs.

An Agri-Input Web Platform was established in June 2016 by the Ag Input Activity project in close collaboration with CropLife

Uganda, the Uganda Seed Trade Association (USTA), and the Uganda National Agro Dealers Association (UNADA). The main

objective is to collect information on seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers, including available and approved products on the market.

The web platform will encourage greater transparency in the sector, providing the public with a wide range of information about

input suppliers, registered products, new products and seed varieties in the market, and about agro-dealers in each locality.

From May to August, platform meetings, called exhibitions, were organized in the districts with agro-dealers to collect

information and to explain the use of the platform. During the meetings, it was stressed that the platform was a tool to combat

counterfeit pesticides. During that same period, members of the platform promoted the platform in radio talk shows on several

local radio stations. In addition, a further 87 agro-dealers received training on product knowledge. In May 2016, Transparency

International organized the establishment of an Anti-Counterfeiting Agro-input Advisory Council in which CropLife Uganda has a

seat. The Council consists of representatives of the public sectors, private sectors, civil society organizations and development

partners. The council will meet quarterly to share the findings from the call center and forge a way forward on how to address the

problem of counterfeits in the country. Activities with the Ag Input project will continue in 2017.

Destine Ariye and Geoffrey Okullo from CropLife Uganda (left) providing information during the exhibition in Lira

Uganda

In 2012, USAID gave a grant to Tetra Tech ARD to

implement the Feed the Future Uganda Agricultural

Inputs Activity. One of the intermediate results was

“Decreased prevalence of counterfeit agricultural

inputs on the market”.



January 2017

Kenya

In 2015, CropLife Kenya conducted a market study to get better insight of the problem of counterfeit pesticides in the country.

Several recommendations were formulated, including to focus awareness creation and training on young people as they are

more likely to fall for counterfeit products; to change strategy of inspection so it is difficult to anticipate the timing of this, and to

set up a system of early warning and whistle blowing. The results were discussed during a workshop that took place in August

2016, which gave a new boost to anti-counterfeiting activities in the country.

To reach young farmers, CropLife Kenya collaborated with the “Shamba Shape Up” program broadcast via the Citizen television

channel. CropLife Kenya gave input on episodes highlighting the issues of counterfeiting, how to recognize counterfeit products,

and mitigation measures. In addition, CropLife Kenya developed a radio jingle in Kiswahili for farmers on the consequences of

using counterfeit pesticides and how to identify these. The jingle was broadcast on the Citizen radio network for two weeks in

October and November 2016. The jingle was also used by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) on their switchboard to help

create awareness.

In order to clean up the supply chain, CropLife Kenya developed a program on accreditation. The first step in accreditation was

focused on the member companies of CropLife Kenya. The technical staff of companies were trained on the Code of Conduct of

CropLife Kenya, matters of counterfeiting and the need to clean-up the supply chain within the industry. The trained technical

staff were then given “accreditation cards” which are a kind of Identity Card they use for identification purposes while transacting

business related to the distribution of pest control products.

The second step in accreditation was done by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) – a statutory body charged with the

responsibility of controlling pesticides in Kenya together with CropLife Kenya. Agro-dealers need to attend staff training,

licensing and store layout requirements. When they comply with these requirements, they are awarded accreditation certificates

and window stickers bearing the logos of CropLife Kenya, PCPB and the Agrochemical Association of Kenya (AAK), of which

CropLife Kenya is part. The certificates and window stickers are valid for 2 year. The stickers aid the farmers in identifying

genuine, trained agro dealers.

To have a more sustainable program, CropLife Kenya is looking to harness their resources and seek further funding from

industry and partners, and run an intensive communications campaign on counterfeit pesticides on both radio and television for

about a year intermittently. In addition, CropLife Kenya would like to make it mandatory for industry members to include in all

their marketing materials such as brochures, pamphlets and posters the key message: “Avoid counterfeits and only buy genuine

products.”



January 2017

Association Management

CropLife Côte d’Ivoire holds Annual General Meeting

The CropLife Côte d’Ivoire AGM took place on 9 December, in Abidjan. The statutory General Assembly meeting convened

following the 2-year term of the present executive committee. Members were updated on the activities carried out in the 2-year

period. The updates by the President of the Board of Directors Bruno Bernos and Executive President Guy Liabra focused on:

Participation at a greater number of meetings and workshops organized by third parties during at which various issues

related to pesticides including uses, policies and management, were discussed.

Effective and strong participation at the Agricultural Fair (SARA 2015) organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development.

Training of 169 retailers, extension agents and applicators in IPM/RU.

ToTs for agents from member companies of CropLife CI, of GIZ-PROFIAB and facilitation of a session for CropLife

Cameroon by the Executive Director.

IPM Training for SSPs with the support of CropLife AME.

AntiCFT training of 460 border control agents including customs, police, forestry agents and pesticide inspectors in

7 cities, with the support of CropLife AME.

Donation of a vehicle to the Directorate of Crop Protection (DPVCQ) in support to the needed raids to be conducted by

the DPVCQ.

Other activities related to the strengthened cooperation, alliances and partnerships, and communication with the ongoing

creation of a website.

The update also covered some weakness and recommendations made to tackle specific areas during the coming years. The

treasurer provided a detailed report on the accounts indicating an improved financial situation. All membership fees were

collected aided by strong external support from CropLife AME and other stakeholders.

With the approval of both reports and the discharge of the Board, the election of a new committee was organized with the

following outcome:

President of the Board: Bruno Bernos

President of the Executive Committee: Guy Joseph Liabra

Vice-President/Treasurer: Mamadou Diallo

Treasurer: Jean Chanhoun

Bama Yao

AGM - Group Photo



January 2017

CropLife Ghana Plans Activities for 2017

Actively fighting counterfeit pesticides, setting up a well working container management program, rolling out the Spray Service

Providers (SSP) concept in vegetables, and building new partnerships: these are just a few of the objectives formulated for 2017

by the secretariat of CropLife Ghana. The ambitions were formulated during a planning session that took place on 18 January

2017 at the offices of CropLife Ghana in Accra.

The session was attended by CropLife Ghana staff, Fred Boampong (Project Coordinator), Eric Aboagye (Field Coordinator),

and training consultants Bob Adjakloe (who is also in charge of container and obsolete stocks management), Juliet Biney and

Gabby Dake of Agric Support & More. The session was facilitated by Manon Dohmen with the support of her assistant Rhoda

Lartey.

To get a better idea of what is going on in the pesticide sector in Ghana and to analyze the role that CropLife Ghana is playing,

or should be playing, the group started by listing all stakeholders in the pesticide sector, including policy makers, research

institutes, technical partners, crop buying companies, producers, input suppliers, certification schemes, and service providers.

For every actor, discussion focused on what their main mandate or task is, related to the many aspects of pesticides, including

responsible use, container management, and anti-counterfeiting activities. Following this, the group looked at what type of

collaboration CropLife Ghana has with the respective actor, and what type of collaboration CropLife Ghana would like to have

with them.

From the analysis, it became clear that anti-counterfeiting activities are high on the agenda of many organizations but that real

action on the ground, in terms of confiscation of counterfeit products, does not happen frequently. In addition, despite several

awareness creation campaigns, many actors still do not fully grasp the consequences of (using) counterfeit pesticides.

Therefore, there is a need for CropLife Ghana to step up its engagement in fighting counterfeit pesticides.

Another program that came out of the discussion is container management. CropLife Ghana has made several attempts to set

up a scheme but none of them have worked out as it should. Member company, Wynca Sunshine is actively collecting empty

containers and recycles these into new containers and application equipment, but they only accept back their own containers.

CropLife Ghana wants to engage the technical support of CropLife Africa Middle East to look at other possibilities.

The SSP concept has since its introduction in Ghana, in 2013 been embraced by farmers and several partner organizations. For

2017, CropLife Ghana wants to consider the possibility of introducing the concept into vegetables. New partnerships with

organizations active in the vegetable sector will be sought to make this a reality.

Manon Mireille Dohmen

Left to right: Fred Boampong, Bob Adjakloe, Rhoda Lartey, Juliet Biney, Manon Dohmen, Gabby Dake, and Eric Aboagye



January 2017

Plant Biotechnology

Cross-Platform Workshop, Tamale, Ghana, 30 November

CropLife Ghana, through the Cross-Platform Initiative, has been organizing a series of awareness workshops on plant

biotechnology since 2014. This, to create a platform where experts from industry, farmers, civil society organizations and

stakeholders can discuss the pros and cons of plant biotechnology and its effect on agriculture in Ghana. This has also become

even more relevant in the wake of discussions in recent times on the media landscape and amongst Civil Society Organizations

and Research Institutions.

The 1-day workshop was to enlighten CropLife Ghana members, Seed producers, Seed Traders Association of Ghana (STAG)

and opinion leaders by exposing them to the basics of plant biotechnology and to the regulation of the technology in the

country. This was also intended to expose members to a “confined field trial” of a GM crop in the country.

Specific Objectives of the day were:

To provide CropLife Ghana members, Seed producers, STAG and opinion leaders in the Northern part of Ghana with

practical, evidence-based information on plant biotechnology and biosafety;

To help neutralize the misinformation regarding biotechnology and biosafety in the country.

To provide a platform for an open interaction among stakeholders on issues of concern with regards to biosafety.

To give first-hand experience to CropLife Ghana members, Seed producers, STAG and opinion leaders on a confined

field trial of a GM crop.

The workshop was organized by CropLife Ghana, Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) and the CSIR Savannah Agriculture

Research Institute (SARI)

Following the formal opening by William Kotey, President of CropLife Ghana, Fred Boampong, Program Manager for CropLife

Ghana, gave a presentation on “CropLife Ghana’s stance on Agricultural Technological Innovations”

In his presentation, Dr. Ofosu (PBS) covered the risk element of GMO technology.

He stated that crops produced using GMO technologies can be said to be safer than those using conventional plant breeding

procedures as the former goes through more rigorous tests.

“Conventionally produced crops are only assessed once they are ready for release, but with GMOs, assessment begins from

the lab to growth chamber to confined fields before general release”

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is currently undertaking field trials of GMO cowpea, cotton, and rice

before these are released onto the market. These crops are either resistant to pests or tolerant to unfavorable soil conditions or

have increased nutrition values. They are not expected to reach the local market until after 2018.

Several Civil Society Groups have protested the introduction of the technology, claiming there are inherent negative health,

environment and economic implications for their application, but Director of BNARI, Prof. Kenneth Danso disagrees. He

explained that the method of GMO seed production is only an improved form of conventional breeding procedures which is

applied only when all other methods to fix a particular food production challenge fails.

Prof Danso said GMOs will help enhance productivity on the farms and ensure “food security, higher economic benefits for

farmers, a safe environment through reduced use of pesticides and production of more nutritious crops.”

Former Director-General of the CSIR, Prof. Walter Alhassan told participants the global GMO seed industry is growing rapidly

and Ghana must not be left behind in the spread of this technology driving the agric sector.

He quoted research from other parts of the world to show that GMO seeds have increased the profit margins of farmers quite

dramatically.

Coordinator of the Seed Traders Association of Ghana, Thomas Havor, said farmers are keen to get access to GMO seed

varieties, once they have gone through the necessary regulatory procedures, saying “the earlier we get into production using

GMO seeds, the better.”



January 2017

The planned trip to the SARI

Confined Field could unfortunately

not come about as initially planned

due to harvesting of the crop,

however, Dr. Mumuni, officer in

charge of the Confined Field Trial,

gave a presentation covering the

process.

In his closing remarks, Bruno

Tinland, of Monsanto, informed

participants that the issue of

biotechnology would never affect

the usage of agrochemicals. This

was to allay the fears of some

importing companies that have

questioned whether GMO

technology would reduce drastically

agrochemical usage.

In conclusion, the workshop was

well attended with participants

asking both CropLife Ghana and

PBS to continue this advocacy until

most farmers and input dealers are

aware of the technology and its

positive effect on the economy of

the country.

In a related issue, there is a change

of government in the country, and

Parliament is affected.

After the recent election in Ghana

over 60% of new members of

Parliament are new. Their

knowledge on issues of plant

biotechnology and the Plant

Breeders Bill (currently before

Parliament) is not guaranteed.

There is therefore a need for a

similar collaboration with PBS to

immediately organize a seminar for

the new parliamentarians to

enlighten them on the current

issues, enabling them to debate on

the Plant Breeder’s Bill. CropLife

Ghana sees the need for such a

training as something quite urgent.

Fred Boampong

Dr. Ofosu (PBS) undertaking his

presentation

A cross-section of participants at the workshop

Right: William Kotey, President of CropLife Ghana giving his welcome

address

Left: Dr Bruno Tinland addressing the group



January 2017

Cuba to Plant GM Soybean and Corn in Spring 2017

Cuba could start planting biotech soybean and corn on

more land by spring of 2017, according to Mario

Estrada, director of the Center for Agricultural Research

of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).

Estrada said that all tests required by Cuban regulatory

bodies have been successfully completed.

"We are currently working on obtaining new transgenic

maize lines, which on a small experimental plot scale

show potential yields of nine tonnes/ha, well close to

the levels reached by the world's leading countries in

this production," Estrada said. He also explained that

Cuba also experimented with an herbicide resistant

biotech soybean, which has a yield of up to 2.8 tons/ha

in field trials. ISAAA

Nigeria Academy of Science Declares Support for Biotech

The Nigeria Academy of Science, the

country's top scientific organization

and the federal government's scientific

advisor has declared that GMOs

are safe and beneficial to improve

agricultural productivity. Furthermore,

the Academy noted that the

technology has the potential to

address food security. The Academy's

declaration also reiterated the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences' report

that GM crops are safe.

The declaration will be used to aid the

development of policies on GM crops

adoption and also answer the claims

of biotech critics about the technology.

Biotech Crops Contribute ~US$127,000M to Argentina's Economy

ISAAA

Biotech crops contributed an estimated amount of US$126,969.27

millions of gross benefit to Argentina from 1996 to 2016. This is

according to a report released by the Argentine Council for Information

and Development of Biotechnology (ArgenBio).

The majority of these benefits (66%) went to farmers, while the remaining

portion went to the government (26%) and technology providers (8%).

The report also stated that the surplus brought about by the technology

created over 2 million jobs over the two-decade period.

Environmental benefits of planting GM crops were also highlighted in the

report. The synergy between GM crops and no-till farming practices led

to conservation of soils, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, and

energetic efficacy of crop management. ISAAA

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CropLi fe Afr ica Middle East Newslet ter

Upcoming Events

Training of SSP trainers in the BASF / CDI project, Tanzania Jan 9-13

Meeting with CropLife Zimbabwe ExCom, covering the upcoming Hub Meeting 2017,

and the role of projects Jan 12-13

CropLife Côte d’Ivoire General Assembly Meeting, Abidjan Jan 18

Human Health Workshop, Brussels Jan 18 -19

Capacity building of the new CropLife Uganda ExCo & meetings with stakeholders,

Kampala Jan 30 - Feb 1

Risk Mitigation Workshop for West Africa region, Accra, Ghana Jan 31 - Feb 1

Meeting of the CLAME training committee, Accra, Ghana Feb 6 -10

SAICM intercessional Meeting, Brasilia, Brazil Feb 7- 8

RRC Meeting, Monheim Feb 13 -14

CP Communications Meeting, Brussels Feb 14-15

Meeting of the Anti-Counterfeiting Steering Committee, Brussels Feb 15

Meeting of the CPSC, Brussels Feb 16

Inaugural meeting for the creation of CropLife Mozambique, Maputo w/c 27 Feb

Container Management Project Team Meeting, Sao Paulo, Brazil Mar 21-23

Workshop on Risk Assessment &Trade impact for Agricultural Commodities,

Nairobi, Kenya Mar 28 -29

CLAME Board Meeting, Brussels April 3-4

IPM Project Team Meeting, Brussels April 4

Stewardship Steering Committee Meeting, Brussels April 5

Number 133

December 2017

Photo: Africa Investment Report


CropLi fe Afr ica Middle East Newslet ter

Contributors:

Bama Octave Yao (West-Central Africa) [email protected]

Les Hillowitz (East-Southern Africa) [email protected]

Stella Simiyu Wafukho (Regulatory) [email protected]

Number 133

January 2017

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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