Pesticide residues and relevant directions for developing countries

If pesticide residues are of concern in developed countries, there is no reason why they should not be of concern to developing countries as well. Of course, the concern is expected to differ in orientation as a result of differences in value systems. Thus, while developed countries can now afford to shift attention to environmental problems, our attention in developing countries is still in the food production aspect. This is because developing countries are generally in a state of chronic nutritional deficiency and so national priorities must be marshalled to meet this more pressing need. Usage of pesticides is also low in developing countries; it has been estimated that the United States, Europe, and Japan are responsible for about 82% of the total world pesticide consumption, not including China, the Philippines, and other developing countries taking care of the remaining 18%. Climatic differences may, in fact, mitigate against our being so involved with pesticides in the environment although the paucity of data and the complexity of the food web in the tropical environment is a cause for concern.