FAO donates pesticide laboratory equipment to Ethiopia

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Thursday handed over pesticide laboratory equipment and consumable items valued at about 2.9 million Birr to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Receiving the donation Agricultural State Minister Wondirad Mandefiro said coordinated control and protection of the agriculture sector from chemicals is essential.

He said the ministry is enhancing the laboratory with relevant technologies and human power.

He said the ministry attached due attention to make agricultural items to be chemical free and competitive at global market.

The State Minister said FAO's support, therefore, would mean a lot in this regard.

FAO provided the laboratory equipment and consumable items as part of the technical support under The Enforcement of Post-registration Capacities for Better Pesticide Management in Ethiopia project.

FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa Castro Camarada noted the project represents a significant contribution to the improvement of pesticide management in the country, improved capacity of the pesticide laboratory and its staff for residue analysis, and quality control for improving agricultural export.

I believe it will also contribute to agricultural development, and ultimately contribute to Ethiopia' s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), he said.

The project was conceived in response to a request by the ministry in 2008 for technical assistance to develop a national pesticide management program.

The project aims at reducing pesticide risk to public health and the environment in Ethiopia, developing a strategy for pesticide reduction, promoting alternatives to conventional pesticides, eliminating hazardous pesticide products, and upgrading technical infrastructure for the control of the quality of pesticide products.

The project has been under implementation since January 2010 in partnership with the ministry, at a total cost of 465,000 US Dollars.