On June 1, 2020, Thailand began to impose a ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos, following the Notice of the Ministry of Industry on the List of Hazardous Substances issued in mid-May. It re-categorized 5 substances as the Type 4 hazardous substances prohibited from production, import, export, use and possession, namely paraquat, chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos-methyl, paraquat dichloride and paraquat dichloride bis methyl sulfate. 

The Department of Agriculture arranged 3 deadlines for the collection of surplus stocks:

• Farmers are given 90 days to return the remaining stock to retailor shops;

• The retailors should return the pesticides to the importers or manufacturers within 120 days;

• Importers and manufacturers should then report the volume returned to the DoA within 270 days.

• The destruction of these pesticides shall be completed by Feb 25, 2021

DoA warned that the disposal of the surplus chlorpyrifos and paraquat will be strictly monitored, with fines up to 1 million baht and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Furthermore, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) is also going to apply a zero-tolerance for residues of these pesticides in agricultural commodities, which will disrupt imports of agricultural commodities from several countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. According to a report from the USDA, the losses of agricultural exportation from the US to Thailand would be 900 to 1,100 billion dollars per year.

• The Importation of Thai Agricultural commodities in 2019(million USD)

Reference Links

• Thai MOI Notice(in Thai)

• USDA Report :Economic Impact of the Ban on Paraquat and Chlorpyrifos on Thai Industries