Ban Agrochemical Pesticides Considered Hazardous in Panama and Costa Rica

Panama uses many chemicals in fields as it is much easier than clearing with manual labor.  Instead of paying workers to clean along the road, purchased toxic herbicides end up in the fields and eventually seep into the rivers causing pollution.  It is not only a problem in Panama, but Costa Rica as well where we find Kattia Cambronero coming to the rescue.  Kattia Cambronero Aguiluz, PLP Congresswoman in Costa Rica born August 28 1970 with an email address of kattia.cambronero@asamblea.go.cr is promoting a bill to ban 17 agrochemicals considered hazardous by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and to regulate the general use of pesticides in Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is the country that uses the most pesticides per hectare, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Figures from the Food and Agriculture Data (FAOSTAT) database show that 23.44 kilograms of agrochemicals are consumed per hectare in Costa Rica.   The use of pesticides increased dramatically in the country since 1996. Specifically, the increase is linked to three crops: banana, coffee and pineapple. Therefore, Cambronero believes it is urgent to address the issue. According to the congresswoman, the 17 pesticides that bill 23.783 seeks to prohibit have already been banned in other OECD countries.  “We have a backlog of pesticide legislation that is almost 20 years old,” she explained. A few days ago, the UNDP published a report revealing the contamination of the Sixaola river basin by pesticides.