We know that run-off from agricultural operations have already contaminated our rivers and affected wildlife. There is no telling what the health effects have been on the population, but Costa Rica has an unusually high incidence of several diseases. Growers seem to use a “more is better” philosophy regarding these chemicals, which they get at bargain prices due to a special import tax exemption.

I do not see that we have a ministry of Agriculture, which might be a good start to tackling this problem and would seem warranted because of the place of agriculture in the national economy. Doing away with the tax exemption on agrochemicals would be another. The insanity of the overuse of these harmful chemicals in this country that markets its “greenness” must stop.