Mr. Stephen Adigbli, the Asante-Akim Municipal Extension Officer, warned against the practice, where some of them applied chemicals used for pest control on vegetables two to three days before harvest.

That, he said, was dangerous - a health hazard, and something which should never be done by anybody. Mr. Adigbli, who conveyed the warning through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said unrestrained quest for huge profit on investment, should not blind farmers to the health safety of consumers.

He indicated that, such was the hazardous nature of some chemicals that when applied on food crops, it took between three to one month for these to become safe for human consumption.

It was therefore completely unacceptable for any farmer to spray their vegetable farms with these chemicals just days before harvest, adding that, even more troubling was the fact that most vegetable were eaten raw. Mr. Adigbli reminded the farmers to prioritize the health of consumers and to stick with best practices.

They should frequently engage the services of extension officers to aid them to do the right things – properly and safely use agro-chemicals for optimal crop yield and returns, he added.