Viewpoint: ‘Herbicides reduce the cost of food production by half and triple yields’: Mass bans on synthetic chemicals would open the doors to 32 invasive species that threaten African crops

According to Thiong’o Mathenge, an agronomist in Nyahururu, herbicides reduce the cost of food production by half and triple yields of crops.

“The use of herbicides helps conserve the structure and composition of the soil which would have otherwise been damaged through ploughing as this would have left the field rough and cloddy,” he said.

According to the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya, there are more than 50 registered brands of herbicides that have all been assessed by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and found safe.

Mathenge says all that is needed is the judicious application of these herbicides, not a ban.

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