Agriculture Experts And FAO Expresses Concerns Over Child Labour

Agriculture experts and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) representatives have expressed their concern over child labour in the agriculture sector as well as adverse effects on pregnant women and infants due to the indiscriminate use of pesticides

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Aug, 2022 ) :Agriculture experts and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) representatives have expressed their concern over child labour in the agriculture sector as well as adverse effects on pregnant women and infants due to the indiscriminate use of pesticides.

At the inaugural ceremony of the "Validation workshop on pesticide's visual tools guidelines" organized by the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tando Jam on Thursday, the Vice Chancellor Dr. Fateh Marri said that the adverse effects of pesticides have seriously affected the health of women and children, pregnant women who are working as the agricultural labor force.

He said that agricultural-related medicines are being marketed by non-agricultural and less educated business people who are creating dangers for agriculture, the environment, nature and living beings with poor suggestions of pesticides.

"Registration or membership of the Pakistan Engineering Council is mandatory for the construction sector and B-pharmacy degree for human medical raps thus agricultural graduate degree should be made mandatory for the agricultural and pesticides business," he added National Coordinator, FMM, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Shakeel Khan said that a visual guide is being prepared in the Sindhi language for the farmers of Sindh on the use of pesticides, child labor, effects of pesticides on women, children and preventive measures.

He said there are 160 million children working in child labor in the world, in which 70 percent of the children are involved in the agricultural sector, so there is a large number of children exposed to pesticides.

He said in 1990, FAO exposed the impact of agricultural pesticides on children and child labor issues in the agricultural sector.

Dr. Jan Muhammad Marri, Pro-Vice Chancellor, SAU Sub-Campus, Umerkot said that excessive use of pesticides also has a big impact on climate change therefore all institutions should take strict and urgent measures in this regard, Dr. Inayatullah Rajpar, Dean, Faculty of Crop Production said pesticides also leave negative effects on soil and water and their damage also affects pregnant women and infants especially children who work in the fields and markets are more affected.

Dr. Manzoor Ali Abro, Dean, Faculty of Crop Protection said that about 400 companies in Sindh were doing business with about 200 different toxins without fear and without institutional approval which is causing financial damage to crops, nature, and farmers, Dr. Aijaz Ali Khooharo, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences said that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been neglected in Agriculture. The import bill of pesticides has reached 20 billion and the neighboring country is saving crops, nature, and capital by producing organic solutions, he said and suggested that farmer school needs to be restored.

Dr. Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, Director, University Advancement and Financial Assistance said that the food chain system has been affected due to pesticides and the health problems in Sindh have increased to an alarming level, therefore agricultural, environmental, academia, and research institutions should form a coordination committee consisting of stakeholders should be formed and the rules should be strictly implemented.

The Sindh Textbook board should make the curriculum on food security and child labor and child work mandatory at Primary and secondary levels, he emphasized.

Ghulam Mustafa Nagraj, Director, Agriculture Information said that the Department of Agricultural Extension Sindh was playing the role of a bridge between all agricultural public and private institutions.

Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed Nahiyoon, Provincial Coordinator Green Climate Fund (GCF) FAO, and others also their views.

A large number of delegates from WWF, International Labour Organization (ILO), Nuclear Institute of Agriculture(NIA), Agricultural Research Sindh (ARS), Private Sector, Collective for Social Science Research, and other institutions, teachers, and students participated.

Besides, a group discussion session was also held on this occasion.

Among others, Registrar Ghulam Mohiyuddin Qureshi, Hussain Bux Mallah, Dr. Zohoor Soomro, Manzoor Ahmed Khuhro, and Dr. Shaukat Ibrahim Abro also participated in the ceremony.