by Mohammad Hassan, Kuwait News Agency

CAIRO--- Arab experts said pesticide use in the Arab World should be developed and closely observed to protect public health and support exported foods and products.

Lebanese agricultural engineer Saeed Obaid said pesticides are essential today in increasing food and plant production.

Obaid pointed out that approximately 2650 meters square of farmland is currently allocated for each person, adding this area will be reduced to 1600 meters square in the next 25 years due to the increase in the world's population.

The world's population is expected to increase from approximately six billion people to nine billion people in 2025, where this increase will mainly be in countries of the third world, he added.

International expert Asyoot University Professor Sobhi Tumairk said the use of counterfeit pesticides is one of the main problems causing sever damage to crops, products, and humans.

Tumairk said 76 percent of the pesticides and insecticides used in 2011 will be counterfeited, urging governments to control such products and their use through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

International environment and development center Chief Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba said the use of pesticides on crops in the third world does not exceed seven percent of the total crop produce, however, it is the most harmful and toxic to human's health.

Dr. Tolba said the problem in the third world is the misuse of such chemical products that affect humans badly, while the developed world control the use of pesticides and restrict their production.

Furthermore, public health expert Dr. Majeeda Anwar said the side effects of insecticides used on crops are very dangerous, adding that certain instructions and steps should be followed in the use of pesticides in regard to the crop, the soil, the time, and the atmosphere, pointing out that such products should not be used without restriction, excessively and randomly.

Moreover, Egyptian Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Engineer Ahmed El-Laithy said his country has decided to stop the production of pesticides that are not licensed under international organizations, especially the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

El-Laithy said Egyptian law protects people against the dangers of pesticides and other harmful substances.

He added although European countries and the United States of America use 47 different kinds of pesticides, Egypt has decided to ban the use of such products that require specific handling and should be used under strict supervision.