For weeks now a rumour on pesticides supposedly not approved by the Cameroonian government has been going around. On 10 January 2017, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Minader) released a communiqué through the press to inform the general public in Cameroon and abroad that “starting from 25 November 2016, imports and certifications of pesticide formulas made from metalaxyl are banned in Cameroon”.

A transition period of 18 months (until 25 May 2016) was granted for the sale of stocks of these pesticides on the market, Minader specifies. Also, he added that economic operators in the sector have three months, starting from 25 November 2016, to declare their stocks containing this molecule. “This being said, purchasing and distributing these pesticides formulations is now prohibited in public contracts”, repeats Henri Eyebe Ayissi.

Metalaxyl is a fungicide made by the Spanish company Industrias Químicas del Vallés. However, this product has already been under a ban issued by the European Communities Court of First Instance (TPICE) since 2005. And for a good reason, this product is highly toxic for human and animal cells, according to the French National Institute of Research and Security. 

Sylvain Andzongo