Malawi Phases Out Ozone-Damaging Insecticide

Source from:  From World Resources Institute 09/08/2004

The insecticide methyl bromide has long been used by tobacco farmers in the heartlands of central Malawi to prevent insects from damaging their crops, the country's chief foreign exchange earner. Rural Malawian farmers, however, know very little about the long-term adverse environmental effects posed by this ozone-depleting substance. Traditionally injected into the soil as an insecticide to protect such crops as tobacco and strawberries, as much as 95 percent of the methyl bromide gas eventually reaches the atmosphere. Ten years ago, negotiators meeting in Canada inked the first international treaty to address the problem of ozone degradation. Under the Montreal Protocol, strict phase-out deadlines were imposed on methyl bromide as well as other ozone-depleting gases. While many developed countries, including the U.S., have recently sought exemptions in phasing out their use of methyl bromide, Malawi is on track to eliminate the use of this gas by December 2004. While the Montreal Protocol allows for "critical use" exemptions to the methyl bromide ban, the U.S. has applied for exemptions that would raise their use of the chemical from 30 percent of 1991 levels to 37 percent. Increased use of methyl bromide results in the thinning of the ozone layer above the earth which protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This can result in skin cancer in humans, and destructive changes in plant growth and in the microscopic phytoplanktons which form the basis of the marine food chain. "Malawians need to consider the long-term adverse effects of the substance. It might not be tomorrow, next week or next month, but the effects of the methyl bromide on the environment are disastrous," says Raphael Kabwaza, director of environmental affairs in Malawi. Malawi is the second largest user of methyl bromide in Africa, after Zimbabwe. The total methyl bromide use in Malawi is estimated at 130.7 ozone-depleting tons, used mainly to treat tobacco seedlings (110 tons) and for grain storage (19.8 tons). The goal of eliminating the use of methyl bromide depends largely on the ability of the government to educate rural farmers on the climate issues surrounding the pesticide. The Agricultural Research and Extension Trust (ARET), which is working to achieve this goal, is promoting the use of alternative pest control methods such as soil-less culture, the use of a pesticide called Basamid Granular, and methane sodium which is used in many tea plantations. "Malawi's successful campaign to promote the phase-out of methyl bromide is enormously important," said Dr. Jonathan Pershing, director of the climate, energy, and pollution program at the World Resources Institute (WRI). "Not only does it allow Malawi to meet its own international obligation to help protect the ozone layer, but it also sends an unambiguous signal that all countries, at relatively low cost, can help maintain the world's ecosystems." According to Lee Ngirazie, an ARET official, Zimbabwe and other African countries have also embarked on similar projects but their phase-out period differs with that of Malawi. With the financial help of the Montreal Protocol, Malawi is expected to totally phase-out all non-essential and non-critical uses of methyl bromide by December 2004. ARET's largest task has been educating farmers across the country about the ban, using posters and leaflets, farm visits and informing the media. Tax officers have been trained to enforce the ban by January 1, 2005, including impounding any shipments of ozone-depleting gases into Malawi. "We are currently ahead of schedule right now, since we have done most of the issues outlined in the project," says Aloysius Kamperewera, deputy director of environment affairs in Malawi. "There is need for more time for the rural farmers to understand the phase-out of the substance. Influencing change is a gradual process, but they will embrace the idea with time." Enditem