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Methyl Bromide Use in Africa Analyzed in PANNA Report
December 16, 1994
Methyl bromide, a powerful ozone-depleting pesticide, is used
in many African nations to grow crops for export such as
tobacco, cut flowers and strawberries. According to a new
report by Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), the
pesticide is not used by small-scale farmers in Africa to
grow food for local consumption.
In RUnder African Skies: Methyl Bromide Use and Alternatives
in AfricaS, PANNA reports that methyl bromide is used in
Africa for soil fumigation, quarantine treatment of high
value export crops and for grains and other commodities in
storage. Methyl bromide use is not widespread in Africa,
however, since the vast majority of users are large-scale
commercial farms, not subsistence farmers who grow the
majority of AfricaUs food crops. Zimbabwe, South Africa and
Kenya are the three top users of methyl bromide among the
African nations analyzed in PANNAUs study, with a combined
consumption of over 80% of reported methyl bromide use in the
nations studied.
RUnder African SkiesS is an information and resource guide to
methyl bromide use and alternatives in Africa. It includes
information from agricultural researchers, chemical industry
representatives, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and
other sources throughout the African continent. The report
seeks to inform African citizens, NGOs, government officials
and concerned individuals in other regions about the hazards
of methyl bromide use and the existence of sustainable,
economically viable alternatives.
In case studies of Kenya and Zimbabwe, the study reports that
Kenya uses approximately 300 tonnes of methyl bromide
annually, primarily for growing flowers and for fumigating
grains and other durable commodities. Although it is rarely
used by small-scale farmers, methyl bromide accounted for
approximately 20% of total insecticides imported in Kenya
from 1986 to 1992, according to the Pest Control Products
Board. Perhaps the most striking statistic from Kenya is
that more than 5% of annual total foreign exchange is used
for importation of methyl bromide alone. Zimbabwe imports 850
to 900 metric tonnes of methyl bromide annually, primarily
from Israel. Sixty-five percent of methyl bromide use in
Zimbabwe is for a single crop -- tobacco.
The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that
methyl bromide is responsible for 5 to 10% of current
worldwide ozone depletion. Ozone depletion and subsequent
increased levels of UV-B radiation have been linked to skin
cancer, eye cataracts and immune system degradation. If
inhaled or absorbed through the skin, methyl bromide is
extremely toxic to humans, causing acute and chronic effects
such as respiratory problems, neurological disorders and
death.
Fortunately, as the report notes, affordable, nonchemical
alternatives exist for most uses of methyl bromide in Africa.
These include controlled atmospheres and hermetically sealed
storage containers for durable and perishable commodities,
and soil solarization, biological pest control and a full
range of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques to
replace soil fumigation. The study contends that financial
and technical assistance from industrialized nations is
essential to help African and other developing countries
replace this ozone-depleting pesticide with sustainable
alternatives.
In 1995, the UNUs Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer will consider global controls on
methyl bromide. Several nations, including the U.S., Italy,
Denmark and the Netherlands, have already phased out this
pesticide or are planning to ban it in the next few years.
In October 1994, Parties to the Montreal Protocol met in
Nairobi, Kenya to begin discussing controls on methyl
bromide. Working with NGOs from Africa, North America and
other regions, PANNA distributed review drafts of this report
to the nearly 150 national delegations at the meeting.
Source: RUnder African Skies: Methyl Bromide Use and
Alternatives in AfricaS by Anne Schonfield, Lucy Wamukonya
and Susan Glendening, PANNA, October 1994.
For a review draft of this report, contact Anne Schonfield at
PANNA. Comments are due by January 15, 1995.
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