Use of Pesticides (Agro-Chemicals) in Treating Pest Infested Cowpea Prior to Human Consumption: A Food Safety Concern

Cowpea storage prior to sale by merchants has faced challenges to maintain its safety qualities during post-harvest handling. Poor practices from storage methods, through handling and pesticide usage have been of great concern, leading to the suspension of its exportation into some countries. This study assessed the use of pesticides in treating pests in cowpea during storage. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was adopted for this study in which a face-to-face administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 115 cowpea handlers and business owners in Dawanau market in Kano state, Nigeria. Knowledge, awareness, and practices related to pesticide handling and application were measured. Data were coded numerically, categorized, analysed descriptively and correlation among the variables were determined. In relation to pesticide handling practices, results show that cowpea business owners practice 24-hour aeration (86.72 %), select pesticide dosage based on experience (63.39 %), and apply pesticide indirectly on cowpea. Although there is poor knowledge of pesticide, 42.89 % use dry pesticide powder and discard any pesticide residue based on manufacture’s instruction (97.32 %). Storage practices were low, including long periodicity of store cleaning. 54.46 % clean weekly, 44.64 % uses polypropylene woven bags with 33.93 % having their storage structure made up of wood. The inferential statistics show a strong correlation between dosage level and pesticide type (r= 0.515, p< 0.01) and positive correlation between experience and choice of withdrawal time (r= 0.207, p< 0.05). A significant positive correlation was also observed between the age of the respondents and choice of packaging materials (r=0.267, p< 0.01). This study highlights the need for training and education on pesticide usage amongst cowpea business owners and handlers in Dawanau to ensure the safety of the product for human consumption.