On Day two of the CRAC(REACH24H Chemical Regulatory Annual Conference) 2013 conference in Shanghai, Prof. Chen Tiechun, Division Director of Quality Control from ICAMA (Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture), outlined the framework and achievements made in development of China’s pesticide regulations, as well as the challenges facing this sector in the future. Though regulatory developments are still in their infancy, Chen confirmed that the ICAMA is negotiating with U.S EPA on the development of a MAD (Mutual Acceptance of Data)-like system to govern international trade in the agrochemical sector between China and the United States. Cross Ministry Legislative framework in China In China the most important regulation is undoubtedly the “Regulation on Pesticide Administration”, which was promulgated on May 8 1997 and revised on November 29 2011. In fact, its regulatory predecessor can be traced back to the “Provision on Pesticide Registration”, which was jointly issued in 1982 by the Ministry of Agricultural, the Ministry of Health and the former Ministry of Chemical Industry. Important additional regulations include: “Administrative Permission Law” “Standardization Law” "Product Quality Law” “Trademark Law” “Code of Primary Products Quality Security” “Advertisement Law” “Consumer Protection Act” “Regulations on Administrative Protection of Agricultural Chemical Products” “Regulations on the Control over Safety of Hazardous Chemicals (Decree 591)” Several Ministry/Administrations are also involved in the control of production, marketing, distribution, use and market promoting of pesticide: Ministry/Administration Regulatory Duties Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Pesticide r

On Oct 8 2013, the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals under the Ministry of Agriculture (ICAMA) issued a circular “Technical Opinion on Registration Management for Glyphosate and its Salts”, which will be available for public consultation until Oct 20, 2013.

China’s Regulations on Pesticide Administration (Decree 326 of the State Council) was promulgated and enacted on 29 November 2001. It is the overarching legislation for the pesticide sector, aiming to control the production, registration, marketing and use of pesticides. On 20 July 2011, a draft proposal to amend the regulation was released for public consultation. Late last year, officials from the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals (ICAMA), which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), made numerous announcements on the impending promulgation of the final version (see Chemlinked News Released on Nov 16 2012). However, after being all but approved by the standing committee of the State Council, barring a signature from the council chairman, the legislative process has come to an abrupt halt. According to MoA’s working programme, which was released in April 2013, the regulation may fall at the last legislative hurdle. This is perhaps unsurprising, given recent leadership changes and the need for consensus across a number of different authorities. Cross-ministry management It is necessary to register all pesticides with the MoA prior to placing them on the market. The agricultural department under the State Council is responsible for the registration, supervision and control of pesticides throughout the country. Registration of new pesticides, when they are first produced or imported, consists of field trials, then temporary registration and finally full registration. ICAMA is responsible for reviewing the dossiers, then collecting technical suggestions and a decision from the National Committee of Pesticide Registration. If the registration process is successful, the MoA will issue a registration certificate of Pesticide Registration, known as ICAMA Registration. In addition to pesticide registration, enterprises producing, formulating or repacking pesticides within the territory of China must obtain manufacturing approval from the Mi

On August 15 2013, Taiwan Council of Agricultural (COA), Executive Yuan issued the Announcement 1021487388 and Announcement 1021487384 to ban the fosthiazate 75% EC and restrict 3 other formulated products.

On August 30, 2013, the fourth session of the 12th Standing Committee of the National People’ Congress approved two amendments to the Stockholm Convention. China will fulfill its obligations of eliminating or reducing the release of endosulfan and other nine chemicals, which were added into the annexes of the Convention in 2009 and 2011.

The current inflationary trend in glyphosate prices is reminiscent of 2008 when the price surged to over 100,000 Yuan per ton. This previous “glyphosate bubble” hallmarked by a huge price increase and subsequent crash is tempering investors and speculators enthusiasm with understandable caution. After bottoming out at a low of 19,000 Yuan per ton, glyphosate’s value has seen steady and dependable appreciation. At first glance this inflation can be attributed to simple fluctuations in the cost of raw materials and newly enacted government regulations in China. However upon closer scrutiny and detailed analysis we see that the recent price rise has been preceded by fierce political maneuverings, trade disputes and to a large extent the calculated business savvy demonstrated by Monsanto. Glyphosate production is an integral cog in the economic engine of China’s crop protection manufacturing base. The amount of associated industry upstream and downstream both foreign and international involved in its productions, distribution transport etc. cannot be understated and for this reason the Chinese government is understandably protective of its interest. Treading a dangerous line between outright anticompetitive behaviors and protecting its indigenous markets, the Chinese government has adjusted the export tax rebate on N-Phosphonomethyl Aminodiacetic Acid (PMIDA) (an important precursor chemical of glyphosate). The removal of the 13% rebate was pitched as an environmental initiative to protect China’s phosphorus resources. However an ulterior motive for this move which has a hugely significant (and surely intended) knock-on effect is the promotion of the indigenous Chinese glyphosate industry. Foreign manufacturers sourcing PMIDA from China are now at a sizeable disadvantage in comparison to their Chinese counterparts. The move has been welcomed by the Chinese glyphosate industry and seems to have had the desired effect with indigenous enterpr

The northern agricultural province Hebei has abolished the registration obligation of all fertilizers from July 1 2013. All subject fertilizer products are freely circulated in the market as long as their producers obtain necessary license and the product meets the quality standard, which would reduce the burden on the shoulder of fertilizer producers and boost the agricultural supplies within the province.

On May 24, China MIIT issued a notice to revoke the manufacturing approvals of 15 arsenic fungicide products due to their inclusion into an “elimination list” (see Chemlinked News Release on Jun 7 2013). However, the revocation does not necessary imply a complete ban as the ICAMA registration of these products are still effective, which means the products are allowed to be sold on the market. ICAMA is considering final steps to eliminate these substances from China.

In June 2013, China glyphosate production stood at 50,800 tons, down by 4% from previous month due to MEP’s newly enacted measures and periodic overhaul among the manufacturing sites. The current price topped 40,000 Yuan ($6,524 at current exchange rates) per ton last week and most of the Chinese producers have suspended quotation offers.The price is expected to continue to rise due to a deliberate supply shortage. 

On Jul 23, 2013, ICAMA invited peer review on the risk assessment report of fly coil incense products. After a briefing on the findings of the assessment conducted by the working group, the experts agreed to adopt the risk assessment report when granting ICAMA registration.