CEO: Controlling Who Can Access Agrochemicals is Difficult to Do, Despite Strict Measures

In May, it was discovered that someone had gotten possession of a bottle of pesticide and emptied it in a water reservoir in San Vicente Village, Toledo District. The incident sent at least six of the villagers to the P.G. Hospital seeking medical attention after they became ill from consuming the tainted water. C.E.O. in the Ministry of Agriculture, Servulo Baeza told us that while the ministry takes measures to avoid the misuse of agrochemicals, it is something that is difficult to control.

Servulo Baeza

Servulo Baeza, C.E.O., Ministry of Agriculture

“The training the Pesticides Control Board actually does. They go and they train the farmers and producers and so on, and they actually get an ID, which is what you can use to go and purchase pesticides or herbicides and so forth. That incident in Toledo was very lamentable, but it’s very difficult to control. 0We try to do it by making sure that we provide the training, make sure that people get IDs. You can only go and purchase when you have that ID when they go and purchase certain chemicals that are restricted.”