Malawi has no incinerator capable of disposing of obsolete chemicals to international scientific standards, leaving large quantities stored for years and exposing people and the environment to health hazards.
Pesticides Control Board (PCB) chairperson Dr Victor Madhlopa disclosed on Friday that some chemicals in storage date back two decades and cannot be destroyed because the country lacks a proper incinerator.
He spoke on the sidelines of an engagement with the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Irrigation at Bvumbwe, where the PCB outlined challenges crippling its mandate.
Said Madhlopa: “Some of the chemicals were imported by the Ministry of Agriculture but were declared substandard and became obsolete over the years. Agricultural chemicals are very strong, not like human medicine, and we cannot just dispose of them easily.
“Other chemicals in bigger quantities were imported years ago by the Ministry of Agriculture and were found to be substandard and needed to be destroyed. But because Malawi doesn’t have an incinerator that meets international scientific standards, we are just storing them until we find a way.”
Without a local incinerator, the only option is to send the chemicals abroad for destruction, a process that would cost millions in taxpayer money.
Madhlopa said the PCB is preparing a budget to send the obsolete chemicals out of the country for safe destruction.
He warned that exposure to these chemicals may already be causing health problems. “These chemicals have been in our warehouses for a long time. Farmers in rural areas also have them and do not know how to dispose of them. These are the problems creating health issues among our people and damaging the environment,” he said.
Funding constraints are the main barrier preventing the PCB from carrying out its mandate, including addressing the chemical stockpile. The board also lacks a laboratory to test imported chemicals for safety and efficacy.
Madhlopa said the PCB is seeking funding to establish a proper laboratory that would ensure Malawians are protected. He stressed that the board can deliver on its mandate if given adequate resources, including an incinerator, a laboratory, and sufficient human and financial capacity.
Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture chairperson Anthony Kamoto said the absence of both an incinerator and a laboratory puts Malawians at risk.
He said the committee will lobby for additional funding for the PCB during the Mid‑Year Budget Review.
“We have told PCB to prepare its mid‑year budget and include these requirements because they are important. As a committee, we will support them because we know the critical role they play,” Kamoto said.
He added that with more funding, the PCB would also strengthen efforts to curb the proliferation of fake chemicals and pesticides, which remain widespread in Malawian markets.
“Equipping PCB with enough financial and human resources will be key to keeping Malawians safe from the harmful effects of fake and obsolete chemicals, some of which are still being used by unsuspecting people,” he said.
The PCB was established under the Pesticides (Amendment) Act of 2018 to regulate the importation, exportation, manufacture, distribution, storage, use and disposal of pesticides and related chemicals in Malawi. The board regulates the pesticide life cycle through registration, permits, licences and enforcement to protect human and animal health and the environment.
