China's Pesticide Sector Regulations to Update
Year:2009 ISSUE:8
COLUMN:EDITORS NOTE
Click:338    DateTime:Mar.17,2009
China's Pesticide Sector Regulations to Update       

Agricultural issues are always the most important for China, which not only have to do with the nation's food supply security, but also can affect nearly 800 million peasants. As a result both in the stimulus programs and the two most authority conferences held in Beijing this March, safeguarding agriculture is the highlight topic.  
    Therefore the agrochemical industry, particular in pesticide industry will be supervised more strictly than before while getting more support.
   The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), newly built in March 2008, now is responsible to regulate China's pesticide production sector, and approve new producers and the extension of existing ones.
   Before that, the regulation regarding pesticide sector fell to the hand by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
   To facilitate the handover, a group of officials at the NDRC's Industry Department were removed to the new industry ministry, now headed by Li Yizhong, a former president of Sinopec Group.
   MIIT is laying out a series of industry policies, along with the role changing among government departments. A ministry official recently revealed some policies to be adjusted regarding the pesticide sector. Firstly, China will control the total pesticide production capacity to avoid excess supply. Next, China will adjust pesticide industry distribution and product portfolio: gathering pesticide production to designated industrial zones; moving pesticide makers closer to targeting markets; encouraging mergers and acquisitions, alliances and restructuring among domestic players; forming closer relationship between pesticide technical makers and formulation producers; pesticide technical toward low toxic, high efficiency and environmental friendly, and formulations toward in the forms of water dispersible granule, emulsion, adhesive solvent but less emulsifiable solution.
   The government will try to help company enhance their corporate social responsibility.
   The government itself will strengthen management on pesticide production. From now on, new product launched by registered pesticide companies need approval before putting into production. The MIIT is responsible to pre-approve for new projects before groundbreaking. The phasing-out system for outdated companies, pesticide reserve system, and emergency and contingency mechanism will be set up.
   Before the ministry rolls out new policies, the sector will be still regulated in accordance with the existing Pesticide Management Regulations, which stipulates:
All pesticides production (including technical, formulation and packaging) and pesticides imports should be booked in. Pesticide developers, producers and foreign companies which sell pesticides to China must submit product samples to the agricultural authorities under the State Council, as well as the necessary information concerning product chemistry, toxicology, effect, residual, the impact on environment as well as labels.
   Companies engaged in pesticide production must have pollution-control facilities and measures that meet state environmental protection requirements, and their waste discharges must meet six basic indicators under national and regional standards. One could only receive business license after being approved by MIIT.
  

Zhong Weike
March 12th, 2008