Agricultural experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), in partnership with development organizations, have issued a stern warning against the widespread misuse of pesticides by farmers and traders on fresh vegetables, particularly tomatoes, citing severe health risks to consumers.
To combat the growing public health threat, MAAIF has joined forces with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to launch the second phase of a nationwide public awareness campaign titled “Wash Well, Eat Well, Stay Healthy.” The initiative focuses on promoting food safety and responsible pesticide management through public sensitization, targeted behavior change campaigns, and stricter regulatory enforcement.
The rollout follows a 12-week preliminary radio campaign aired on Radio Buddu in Masaka and Radio Simba in Kampala under the theme “Spray Smart, Eat Safe,” which educated farmers, agro-input dealers, market vendors, and consumers on agrochemical dangers.
Speaking during the rollout of the second phase, Ms. Christine Alokit, the PlantwisePlus Country Coordinator at CABI, explained that expert teams conducted radio talk shows addressing the root causes of chemical misuse among tomato traders in major regional markets.
‘The talk shows targeted questions such as what do traders use to preserve tomatoes. How do consumers make sure they tomatoes they are purchasing are safe from pesticide residues and how do farmers apply the pesticides in their farms,’ she notes.
Listenership surveys conducted during the initial phase revealed that 50 percent of respondents prioritized purchasing glossy tomatoes, while only 20 percent actively sought pesticide-free produce. On the producer side, farmers admitted to prioritizing high yields and post-harvest freshness, with only 20 percent supporting non-chemical spraying practices. Overall, 67 percent of listeners acknowledged that consuming pesticide residues damages internal organs, though the majority admitted to ignoring mandatory pre-harvest intervals.
‘When the experts were presenting the sensitization program on radio, they emphasized the dangers of consuming pesticide residues in Tomatoes and other vegetables. It causes infertility, cancer and skin diseases. It is the reason farmers, traders and agro input dealers are urged against its misuse,’ Alokit notes.
Building on these insights, experts from MAAIF, the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), KCCA, and the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory have expanded operations to conduct direct market sensitization across 10 major markets in Kampala-including Wandegeya, Kalerwe, Bugolobi, Nateete, Busega, Usafi, Nakawa, Kasubi, Ntinda, and Owino-alongside a three-week radio campaign in Masaka. The campaign package also includes specialized training modules for farmers in 11 selected central region districts where pesticide misuse remains acute.
Providing a technical overview of the crisis, the Assistant Commissioner for Agro-Chemicals at MAAIF, John Mwanja, emphasized that improper application poses a persistent threat to public health and national food security.
‘Farmers use pesticides on vegetables including tomatoes to control pests and diseases but improper use can cause damage to human health and it can contaminate the environment and harm beneficial organisms,’ he notes.
Mwanja highlighted a critical post-harvest malpractice where farmers routinely apply Mancozeb-a fungicide strictly formulated for growing crops in the field-directly onto harvested tomatoes to preserve appearance. Consuming produce laced with post-harvest Mancozeb residues increases the risk of cancer, reproductive organ failure, and thyroid gland diseases.
He reminded agricultural stakeholders that pesticides are inherently toxic substances governed by strict statutory regulations, instructing farmers to adhere strictly to label instructions and observe required pre-harvest safety windows while immediately ceasing the application of Mancozeb on harvested produce.
Underlining infrastructure gaps in market ecosystems, Dr. Robinson Kabanda, the in-charge of animal production at KCCA, stressed that market operators must maintain strict hygienic standards to safeguard public health.
‘Food premises and market infrastructure must fit medical standards and these include storage with proper temperature control. This calls for provision of cold rooms and refrigerators in markets for traders,’ Dr. Kabanda explained.
Highlighting the global magnitude of foodborne ailments, Dr. Henry Kaula, Manager of Health and Sanitation Inspection at KCCA, cited data from the World Health Organization indicating that roughly 866 million people-nearly one in nine worldwide-fall ill annually from consuming contaminated food. He noted that food contamination results in 1.5 million deaths globally every year and causes an estimated $310 billion loss in productivity.
Explaining the limitations of simple household safety measures, Mr. David Mutende, a senior chemist at the Government Analytical Laboratory, noted that routine testing drives conducted across farms nationwide consistently show deep chemical absorption within plant tissues.
To him washing the produce may not be a solution because some of the pesticides can last longer in the vegetables. He recommends farmers, traders and agro input dealers to stop miss use of pesticides and pesticide residue contamination in vegetables.
To stem the crisis, the inter-agency team is pushing for a shift toward Integrated Pest Management (IPM), utilizing the CABI-backed Plantwise Knowledge Bank to train extension workers and field plant doctors to assist farmers with pest scouting and biological control alternatives. Authorities further warned that farmers, traders, and manufacturers who violate pesticide handling standards or deal in counterfeit and banned agrochemicals face immediate prosecution and commercial market bans.