BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 10. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan have opened a new warehouse for the storage of obsolete pesticides in Vakhsh district in Khalton region in the southwest of Tajikistan on April 8, 2023, Trend reports with reference to the FAO.
“FAO works to prevent the build-up of new obsolete stocks by introducing better agricultural practices, enhancing sustainability and resilience, reducing reliance on pesticide and ensuring better management of pesticides,” the organization said.
The store was built within a framework of the Lifecycle Management of Pesticides and Disposal of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) Pesticides in Central Asian countries and Türkiye project.
The project aims to reduce POPs releases from obsolete pesticide stockpiles and contaminated sites, as well as strengthen the capacity for the proper management of pesticides.
The FAO said that the use of the new warehouse will start from the storage of the obsolete pesticides moved from the mini-landfills in Pyanj jamoat in Jayhun district of Khatlon region.
It is planned to securely transport and store 409 tons of POPs pesticides and 4,769 tons of contaminated soil in Vakhsh special landfill. The work is planned to be completed by the end of 2023.
Tajikistan and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have been cooperating since 1995. For years, FAO has been focusing on improving sustainable food security and nutrition and increasing resilience to climate change in Tajikistan.