by Asia Pulse

Cotabato City---The Japanese government has threatened to ban mangoes from Mindanao after excessive chlorpyrifos residues were found on homegrown mango export products, the Department of Agriculture (DA) 12 here reported.

DA-12 chief Abusama Alid said Japanese officials in Manila recently raised a warning on mango products from Mindanao, which contains excessive chlorpyrifos, a pesticide product largely used by Mindanao farmers to protect their crops.

"The chlorpyrifos pesticide brand is also widely used by United States farmers," Alid said.

"Japanese health experts first detected chlorpyrifos residue on our mango exports on September 2004, thereafter the second detection came in December 2004. Recently, the Japanese government issued a last warning to ban our mango exports if excessive chlorpyrifos residues would be detected again in the future," the DA-12 official said.

Following the warning, Alid said the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) enjoined all local mango growers to strictly observe and enforce the approved use of chlorpyrifos on their products.

At the same time, he said the FPA is now strictly implementing chlorpyrifos recommended pre-harvest interval of at least 50 days to prevent excessive residues.

Any deviation from the approved uses of chlorpyrifos may result to levels of residues beyond the maximum residue limit of 0.05ppm that may lead to adverse health effects and imperil our present and future mango exports, Alid explained.

Philippine farmers also currently use chlorpyrifos on 40 agricultural crops that include cranberries, strawberries, citrus, apples, figs, pears, nectarines, cherries, peaches, plums, grapes, almonds, pecans, walnuts, nut trees, onions, peppers, kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, cucurbits, asparagus, roots/tubers, corn, tomatoes, lentils, beans, peas, sorghum, tobacco, wheat, alfalfa, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower, cotton, sugar beets, mint, bananas, pastures, woodlands, lots/farmsteads, and cattle ear tags.

The pesticide is also proven effective against termite treatment of lawns, ornamentals and house wood walls and floorings.