Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands (Reach) president Ramakrishnan Ramasamy said pesticide overuse was a problem all over the region due to lack of enforcement.
He said the Agriculture & Agro-based Ministry should have set up enforcement teams in Cameron Highlands a long time ago as the region was a major producer of vegetables. “There is no agriculture enforcement unit in Cameron Highlands and the ministry can only advise the Land Office and Health Department, which are also tied down by lack of manpower. The situation is made worse by foreign workers taking over the farms as they are only concerned about maximizing profits by using pesticides to ensure the vegetables look nice to fetch a higher price.”