Farmers Sudan want to stop rise in cancer from pesticides

The Farmers’ Association of El Gezira and El Managel wants to stop the increase in cancer cases amongst farmers suspected to be casued by the use of certain pesticides and the way the chemicals are stored and transported. The farmers urgently request the authorities to review the licenses, registration and importing of pesticides.

The farmers have demanded medical examination for all the workers in the field working with pesticides. It also urges the authorities concerned to provide regular training for health workers to examine potential dangers.

El Nima El Naaim Awad El Alim of the secretariat of the Farmers Association suggests developing improved methods of storing and transportation of pesticides. “We need to get rid of the surplus of unused pesticides and we need to establish safe storages of these chemicals far from water resources and the residences of citizens”, he said.

In 2014, the Director of the Pesticide and Toxicology Administration at the University of El Gezira said that hundreds of thousands of tons of pesticides have disappeared from El Gezira state.

The Dean of the National Cancer Institute in Wad Medani, also researched the rise in number of cancer patients which visited the institute. Dafallah Abu Idris stated to Radio Dabanga that the hospital receives “70 patients a day, which include 12 cancer cases”. The National Pesticides Council (NPC) is responsible for the management of pesticides in Sudan.