Australia has recently reformed its import risk analyses (IRA) process to increase transparency and timeliness, enhance consultation with stakeholders and increase the level of scientific scrutiny. The reforms will not compromise Australia's conservative approach to quarantine or change their science based risk analysis.
Timeframes for the completion of IRAs have been imposed through regulations, improving timeliness and predictability for stakeholders. The regulations provide for a standard or expanded IRA process, depending on the complexity of the science and nature of the biosecurity risks. A standard IRA will be completed within 24 months and an expanded IRA within 30 months. The new process has the flexibility for timeframes to be suspended in certain circumstances, such as when Biosecurity Australia is waiting for scientific information considered essential to complete the IRA. The role of the Eminent Scientists Group (ESG) has been strengthened. The ESG's role will now include assessing conflicting scientific views provided to it and reviewing the conclusions of draft final IRA reports to ensure they are scientifically-based on the material presented.
A high level Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry group has been established to prioritize import proposals, thus assisting Biosecurity Australia to develop its work programme. The group will also monitor the progress of IRAs undertaken by Biosecurity Australia. Biosecurity Australia has completed the IRA for New Zealand apples under the previous IRA process and will also finalize the Philippines banana IRA under the old IRA process. The Chief Executive of Biosecurity Australia will announce the transition arrangements for other IRAs currently underway closer to the commencement of the new process.
Australia continues to be active in standard setting, both internationally and through the APPPC, with Australia involved in the draft ISPM on Sampling of Consignments and the Technical Panels on Phytosanitary Treatments and Fruit Flies; also the production of the draft RSPM on Scales.
Australia continues to detect and respond to incursions of emergency plant pests. The approach rate of timber borer pests remains high and will be the subject of a pathway risk analysis to review existing approaches to phytosanitary management. Long running eradication programmes include 6 invasive weed species, citrus canker, red imported fire ant and Wassmania fire ant in Queensland, European House Borer in Western Australia. Grapevine leaf rust has been eradicated from the Northern Territory following a four year programme. Australian industries continue to develop industry specific biosecurity plans to significantly reduce the risk and spread of pest incursions.
A Cooperative Research Centre of National Plant Biosecurity has been established to coordinate and undertake national plant biosecurity research.
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) was restructured on 1 January 2007. It has a new Executive Director, Stephen Hunter, and plant quarantine and plant exports are now handled in different branches in different divisions.
From 1 July 2007, new corporate governance structures came into effect at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) following reforms implemented by the Australian Government. Key reforms include conferring responsibility for governance of the APVMA on the Chief Executive Officer and establishing a new Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will include experts in the chemical industry, primary production, consumer interests, public health, the environment and occupational health and safety. These reforms only relate to the governance of the APVMA and do not change the regulatory scheme that is administered by the APVMA.
Australia submitted its national implementation plan to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat in August 2006 setting out how Australia will implement its obligations under the Convention. Australia has eliminated the use of the POP chemical mirex and is in the process of withdrawing its exemption. Australia is in the process of adopting the best available techniques (BAT) and provisional guidance on best environmental practices (BEP).
The Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEW) administers the Designated National Authority (DNA) obligations for industrial chemicals in cooperation with the Australian regulator for industrial chemicals, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS). The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry administers DNA obligations for pesticides.
The Australian Biosecurity System for Primary Production and the Environment (AusBIOSEC) has been established as a whole-of-government project to improve Australia's biosecurity status. Its aim is to improve outcomes from Australia's biosecurity system for primary production and the environment, through greater national coordination on biosecurity policy, regulation, funding and delivery across jurisdictions and sectors. The scope of AusBIOSEC is along the entire biosecurity continuum from pre-border, border to post-border management of biosecurity risk.
In Cambodia three ministries are involved in plant protection, namely the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Commerce (MoC). However, MAFF is the main ministry responsible for plant protection and phytosanitary measures, IPM activity, pesticide registration and regulation, training, research and extension activities. The MoE is responsible for activities relating to the Stockholm Convention and the MoC is responsible for issue related to WTO-SPS.
Many government and ministerial regulations had been developed for the management of border check points, the management of plant quarantine activities and phytosanitary inspection. Progress was mainly made in the establishment of the national phytosanitary database and staff capacity building on pest surveillance, pest list and SPS for ASEAN and the placement of plant and animal quarantine staff at the international airport. Constraints to plant quarantine include the absence of plant quarantine check points at river-ports, seaports and border areas. Awareness on phytosanitary inspections was still low and the plant quarantine infrastructure remain much below ISPM standards. The key challenge was to develop a strategy to include plant and animal quarantine staff in the team of inspectors at entry points.
The Sub-decree No. 15 on the phytosanitary inspection gave PQA the responsibility to conduct
pest surveillance and eradicate new exotic pests. The golden apple snail and coconut beetles are considered
invasive species to Cambodia. A lot of effort had been made to control and eradicate these pests. Staff of the
plant protection office were trained on pest surveillance and biological control to enable the production of
bio-agents such as Asecodes to control coconut beetle and
Cotesia to control DBM. Outbreaks of BPH
affected more than 20 000 ha of rice. This problem was dealt with through the regional vegetable IPM
programme and "community level BPH and associated virus management". A key constraint was the high risk from
new invasive species owing to the absence of plant quarantine check points at all entry points.
Pesticide regulations issued included the Sub-decree No. 69 on standards and management of agricultural materials and many other relevant documents. A pesticide registration scheme was established and the Department of Agricultural Legislation is responsible for pesticide registration, licensing of importers and retailers of pesticides, and enforcement of regulations, with technical advice from the Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Land Improvement, serving as focal point for the Rotterdam Convention. Current pesticide issues were broadly recognized, especially their implications for production, health, the environment and trade. However, many other constraints remained unresolved, such as insufficient enforcement of regulations, uncontrolled importation, and broad availability of undesirable pesticides, misuse and over-use, limited data on health and environmental effects and high pesticide residues in food.
The IPM programme was established in 1993 and now operates in 15 major agriculture production provinces, including the Phnom Penh municipality, with the aim of promoting food security and safety. The main tasks were to reduce the dependence of farmers on agricultural chemicals, to develop the capacity of agriculture trainers and extension workers to educate farmers on agriculture technologies by developing skills in environmentally friendly crop management. The programme had trained more than 600 district trainers, 2 000 farmer facilitators and 100 000 farmers. IPM training had led to an increase in yield, sustainable and cost-effective production, reduction of ecology disruption and environmental contamination, reduction of public health and toxic residues in food, and improvement of the livelihood of farmers, biodiversity and marketability of produce.
In the last two years (2005-2007), China had completed the legislative approval procedures to join the IPPC, and had successfully organized the 39th International Conference of Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR). Chinese experts were involved in the establishment of some international and regional ISPM and RSPM standards and protocols. The Ministry of Agriculture has re-formulated the national plant protection policies towards "public plant protection" and "green plant protection". The policy on "public plant protection" requires that the Government be responsible for the provision of public services relating to plant protection. The policy on "green plant protection" requires that plant protection strategies, technologies, standards and protocols be sustainable and environment friendly.
The Chinese Government has made great efforts to fulfill the requirements of the IPPC and the SPS agreement during the past two years. All new phytosanitary measures were set up based on PRA guidelines. Some pest-free areas were set up in accordance with the requirements of the relevant ISPMs The quarantine pest list had been updated. Two alien invasive pests, i.e., the red imported fire ant and the cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, were discovered and emergency quarantine eradication programmes were undertaken. Integrated measures were strengthened for the plant quarantine pests. Crop pests of national importance, particularly migratory locusts, rice borers, rice plant hoppers and rodent were successfully managed and controlled. Using an ecology approach such as improving biodiversity in its over-summer places to reduce inoculum, the national programme on the management of wheat stripe rust was implemented. Demonstrations of "green protection technologies" such as light-trapping, pheromone mating-disruption and biological control were carried out on a large scale, and these activities attained impressive economic, environmental and social benefits.
Five types of highly toxic organphosphate pesticides have been banned since 1st January, 2007. National programmes have been developed and were being implemented in major crops. In addition, local government authorities have put in place their own regulations for the replacement of highly toxic pesticides. In the mean time, great effort had been made to develop bio-pesticides for the replacement of highly toxic chemical pesticides. With the support of FAO in the past two years, IPM farmer education programmes and field demonstrations of IPM technologies made great contributions to the reduction of pesticide applications. Significant economic, social and ecological benefits have also resulted from those IPM programmes.
In the development of bilateral cooperation, China has signed Bilateral Plant Quarantine
Cooperation Agreements with several countries. There is also continued cooperation with Kazakhstan on the control
of migratory locusts along the borders. IPM experts from China had initiated exchange programmes with
Viet Nam and Thailand, to explore the possibilities of cooperation on the management of rice plant hoppers.
During the past two years, the DPRK paid serious attention to phytosanitary issues, resulting in the modification of legislations related to the plant protection. Steady efforts were made to introduce advanced pest management methods which were environmentally friendly to protect and increase plant resources to achieve a high yield and safe crop production.
The Central Plant Protection (CPP), the State Plant Protection Organization, compiled relevant regulations and rules in line with international conventions on pesticide control. They also enforced quarantine posts along the borders and sought cooperation from farms to abide strictly the rules on plant protection.
The CPP also made arrangements for the surveillance and control of pests to be done in a scientific manner within the principles of integrated pest management. A detailed plant quarantine pest list was compiled.
The Ministry of Agriculture increased investments to encourage the production and use of bio-pesticide in the place of higher costing, residually toxic chemical pesticides.
In the future, the DPRK plans to give more education to cooperative farmers in order to further increase their management of plant protection, and to expand the exchange and collaboration with the APPPC and other countries, thus contributing to the promotion of plant protection for the production of high yielding and safe crops.
Fiji relies on agriculture to sustain economic and social development and growth. For some time, Fiji has recognized the importance of opening up her doors to trade with Asia in addition to neighbouring Pacific neighbours such as New Zealand and Australia.
Fiji had reformed the quarantine and inspection services by conducting:
Technical assistance from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, New Zealand and the People's Republic of China had led to the following activities:
The reform of quarantine was expected to be in place by January 2008. By strengthening quarantine services, safe trade with Asia, Pacific neighbour countries and the rest of the world was the target in the very near future.
The headquarters of the Directorate of Plant Protection Quarantine and Storage is located at Faridabad, Haryana. This office is headed by the Plant Protection Adviser to the Government of India and is responsible for the implementation of all plant protection activities in the country.
The major activities are exclusion of exotic pests, surveillance and eradication of the ingress of desert locust, regulation of the availability of quality chemical and biopesticides, encouragement of integrated pest management practices in plant protection, development of human resource capabilities, plant protection technologies and monitoring of pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables.
Being the National Plant Protection Organization, the office is responsible for the effective implementation of the phytosanitary certification programme. More than 160 plant protection specialists from all over the country had been trained and authorized to issue phytosanitary certificates in accordance with the requirements of the importing countries. During the year 2006 a total of 137 470 phytosanitary certificates were issued.
The pest risk analyses for more than 500 commodities were carried out and notification was done on more than 700 regulated pests. A number of quarantine pests had been intercepted in imported consignments and notification was sent to the exporting countries.
There were season-long training and farmer field school programmes organized. Seventy-seven (77) IPM packages regarding practices on major agriculture/horticulture crops were also developed.
A total of 318 biocontrol laboratories are in operation to produce biopesticides. National level programme on the monitoring of pesticide and surveillance on fruit flies were initiated during the year 2006. Bilateral agreements with USA, Japan and China were initiated to facilitate the export of fruits, especially mango.
India is signatory to FAO code of conduct on the distribution and use of pesticides and is now implementing its provisions. The Insecticide Act 1968 regulates the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of pesticides with a view to prevent risks to human beings and animals.
The Ministry of Agriculture in Indonesia comprises several Directorate Generals (DGs) which are responsible for their own areas of interest. The three DGs are the DG of Food Crops, DG of Horticultural Crops, and DG of Estate Crops. Each DG has their own Directorate of Plant Protection. The Directorates (Directorate of Horticultural Crops Protection, Directorate of Food Crops Protection, and Directorate of Estate Crops Protection) all are the members of National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) with the agency for agricultural quarantine as the NPPO focal point.
The Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Quarantine (IAAQ) of the Ministry of Agriculture which is in charge of the management of plant and animal quarantine had not had any changes of organization since 2005.
The number of plant quarantine officers authorized to inspect/certify plants or plant products to be exported/imported is around 350 throughout the country as against the needed 2000 plant quarantine inspectors.
Indonesia has a list of regulated pest prepared by experts from NPPO, universities, and research agencies. The list is subject to review every two years. Pest risk assessment is conducted prior to importation of plant propagating materials.
Capacity building is still needed to produce qualified plant quarantine officers in Indonesia. Surveillance of pests is mainly conducted by the Directorate of Crops (Food, Horticulture, and Estate), while the plant quarantine office conducts the monitoring of pest distribution or the possibilities of establishment of new pests in the country. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programmes were launched in the 1990s with funding either from the Government, donor countries or international banks in Indonesia. The Government programme included training farmers on good agricultural practices.
Registration of pesticides goes through the Centre for Investment and Permit, Ministry of Agriculture, and monitoring of pesticides is conducted by the relevant DG. On the other hand, the Committee of Pesticides handles the reports relating to the applications for pesticides.
Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors of Lao PDR. In the past the Department of Agriculture managed both the import and export aspects of agriculture commodities. Thus, the Department of Agriculture issued permits concerning agricultural inputs such as planting material, fertilizer, pesticide and others.
In collaboration with Oxfam-CAA, the Department of Agriculture organized an in-country training
course on plant quarantine in 2007, which was attended by 16 plant quarantine staff from seven provinces.
Another training course in 2007 was funded by JICA and the Government, participated by 12 plant quarantine
staff from five provinces. In addition, four senior officials attended the training courses conducted by
the ASEAN-ROK training programme on plant quarantine. Two other people attended courses in Japan,
and another two people in China.
At present, Lao PDR has nine officially established entry/exit plant quarantine border posts in the country, with 27 plant quarantine inspectors.
In July 2005, the Lao Government transferred the IPM programme from the National Agriculture and Forestry Service (NAFES) to the Department of Agriculture (DOA), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Since 2005, IPM activities in Lao PDR have been focused on increasing the capacity of IPM programmes and policy support, increasing the role of stakeholders, especially farmers in planning and implementation. Two hundred and thirty-four farmer field schools have been conducted involving a total of 5 850 farmers.
At present, there are 26 types of pesticides prohibited, 100 brand names are registered, consisting of 75 products from Viet Nam and 25 from Thailand.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and their Disposal is still in the process of ratification.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has the following policies regarding the implementation of plant protection and plant quarantine:
The Malaysian NPPO underwent a major restructure in 2005 which saw a significant increase in the number of executive posts. Both the NPPO (for crop protection and plant quarantine) and Designated National Authority (DNA) for pesticide management were restructured to meet international obligations as well as to safeguard the country's interest in the agriculture sector.
The pest management activities in Malaysia have been successful in monitoring pest infestation especially in rice fields.
The Malaysian NPPO (Crop Protection and Plant Quarantine Division of DOA) has taken steps to comply with international standards by reviewing its legislation, rules and procedures. This has included the promulgation of a new Plant Quarantine Act, amendment of the current plant quarantine regulations, development of electronic application and issuance of permits, introduction of a new phytosanitary format and the establishment of certification schemes.
The implementation of ISPMs has been carried out in stages, depending on the requirement in trade, staff capacity, and capability. The implementation of some ISPMs has been delayed due to their degree of complexity. Through active involvement of the NPPO in several international forums this will be remedied soon.
The Pesticides Board as the DNA of Malaysia has stepped up its activities considerably since 2005 due to the increase in the number of posts, especially in residue analysis and enforcement. The rules and regulations pertaining to pesticide registration and use have been tightened to ensure that registered pesticides are used as recommended.
Malaysia is also actively pursuing the safe use of pesticides under the GAP Certification Scheme (SALM) and the promoting Organic Certification Scheme (SOM) to reduce pesticide use.
The DNA has also been active in the participation and implementation of international agreements and conventions such the Rotterdam Convention, Basel Convention, and Stockholm Convention.
Much of the economy of Myanmar depends on the agriculture sector, which generates approximately 43 percent of the total GDP. Myanmar Agriculture Service and Myanmar Industrial Crop Development Enterprise are the two main departments responsible for crop production. Myanmar signed the IPPC in 2006, and designated the Plant Protection Division as the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO). The contact point for WTO-SPS is the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA).
Following cooperation projects with AUSAID, NZAID, and ASEAN dialogue partners, technologies relating to insect and disease collection, duration, preservation, diagnostics, and identification methods became widely available. There were also marked improvements on SPS awareness, Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), plant quarantine methods, and the development of a pest list database. A pest museum was constructed with upgraded internet access.
The Plant Quarantine Law was reviewed by FAO experts in 2006. In the same year, a national mango pest survey was conducted. A pest risk assessments team was also formed and is expected to begin PRA work by the end of 2007.
Pest outbreaks occurred in rice, pulses, cotton, maize, tomato, potato, onion, and durian and were mainly controlled using chemicals.
In addition to agriculture extension staff employed throughout the country, farmer's field schools (FFSs) have also been established. Priority has been given to rice, pulses and vegetable farmers.
The Pesticide Law is under review. Old pesticide formulations such as EC, WP, GR, and SL are still widely used in Myanmar. However, no pesticides specified under the Rotterdam Convention and Stockholm Convention has been registered in Myanmar.
Pesticide consumption has increased in the fiscal years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 due to the increased cultivation of pulses and cotton. Insecticides had the biggest share followed by fungicides and herbicides. Pesticide residue analysis was done on commodities both for export and local consumption. At present, there are three neem pesticide formulations being promoted for vegetables and food legumes.
Myanmar like many developing countries faces many challenges brought about by the changes in international trading.
The plant protection service of Nepal is organized within the Department of Agriculture (DOA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC). The Plant Protection Directorate in the department is the national focal point. The directorate operates through a network of five regional plant protection laboratories, a national plant quarantine programme with a network of 15 plant quarantine check posts located at border points between India and China (five regional plant quarantine offices, eight checkpoints and two sub-checkpoints) and a pesticide registration and management office. In addition, each district agricultural development office (Nepal has 75 districts) has a plant protection officer responsible for general crop protection services to farmers, implementation of the Pesticide Act, and linking plant quarantine functions (specially post-entry quarantine) to farmers.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the central strategy to crop protection. Nepal ratified the IPPC on
May 8, 2006, and it became a member of APPPC in 1965. It is also a signatory to all major
international conventions related to plant protection and environmental protection. Nepal became a member of WTO
in 2004 and is committed to fulfil its obligations, particularly those related to the SPS Agreement.
To comply with principles of harmonization and equivalence, the Plant Protection Act 1972 was recently amended by Parliament in 2007. Plant protection and quarantine laboratories have been equipped to meet the standards set by IPPC to obtain accreditation.
The IPM programme is the largest programme component of plant protection. By 2006, the programme had been expanded to 60 districts out of 75. One hundred and ninety-nine IPM officer facilitators have been prepared in DOA, Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) and NGOs. Similarly, 44 field technicians had also been given season-long IPM training to become field level facilitators to promote farmer field schools. In addition, farmers have also been trained to act as facilitators. The concept of FFS introduced for rice has been expanded to vegetables, potato, and recently, to tea and coffee.
In compliance with WTO requirements, actions have been taken in the delineation of endangered areas, areas of low pest prevalence, and pest-free areas. Quarantine pests have been identified. To establish a scientific basis for zoning activities, pest surveillance and monitoring have been strengthened.
The Pesticide Registration and Management Office (PRMO) is the nodal agency to implement pesticide regulations of 1993. This is enforced through pesticide inspectors and designated plant protection officers based in districts. Pesticide reseller licensing, import licensing, quality control, training on safe use of pesticides, and disposal of obsolete pesticides are the key functions carried out by this office. A stock of 74.165 mt of obsolete pesticides belonging to organophosphates, organochlorine, and organomercurial groups, and methyl bromide are awaiting disposal. To date, 291 commercial formulations and 61 generic products have been registered. In 2003, pesticides equivalent to the value of NRs. 123 million (US$20 million) had been imported.
The Government of Nepal is currently receiving financial assistance primarily from Royal Norwegian Government (for IPM) and FAO TCP (for plant quarantine, recently phased out). The World Bank is planning to assist in the strengthening of SPS services in the context of WTO.
Since the last Session of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Organization, New Zealand has continued to develop and refine its biosecurity system.
In December 2006, the Director-General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) announced that MAF's two biosecurity businesses – Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ) and MAF Quarantine Service (MQS) would be structurally integrated. The new integrated organization commenced operations on the 1st of July 2007, and is now known as MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAF BNZ).
The objectives of creating a single, integrated organization were to have biosecurity policy development, risk assessment, standard setting, and implementation functions better connected and working to a common vision and strategy, with clearer accountabilities, better defined roles and responsibilities, and with stronger business support capability.
Sixty-seven new organisms associated with plants had been recorded as new to New Zealand by MAF BNZ in the period June 2005 to June 2007. MAF BNZ has officially responded to the presence of a number of these organisms.
New Zealand continues to develop and review import health standards based on pest risk assessment in accordance with the international standards for phytosanitary measures. Since the 24th session of the APPPC, import health standards have been developed for a range of plants and plant products.
In the last two years New Zealand has established an approvals framework for pesticides under the HSNO Act, developed a substance reassessment programme, and has implemented a compliance structure to support the approvals framework.
Integrated pest management continues to be an integral component of orchard management programmes in New Zealand.
New Zealand continues to be active in the development, implementation and promotion of international and regional standards.
The total geographical area of Pakistan is approximately 80 000 sq km and agriculture land is about 22 million ha. Total GDP is US$148 billion. Per capita income defined as GNP at market price is US$925. Population undernourishment is about 23 percent. The economy of Pakistan is largely based on agriculture. It contributes about 25 percent to the national economy, provides employment for over 44 percent of the labour force and is the main source of income in rural areas, which accounts for 70 percent of total population.
Plant quarantine work is carried out by the Plant Quarantine Division in the Department of Plant Protection, which has legal authority and management responsibility. In accordance with Article IV of the International Plant Protection Convention, 1997. The head office is at Karachi and the quarantine stations are located at the seaports, airports, dry ports and land border points. The working of the plant quarantine division, actions and decisions are made in accordance to Pakistan Plant Quarantine Act, 1976 and Pakistan Plant Quarantine Rules, 1967.
Provincial and Federal Agriculture Department staff do general surveillance and specific survey of field crops, forests, plantations and orchards. Provincial Governments compile pest survey reports on a weekly and fortnightly basis during the crop seasons, and provide advice to farmers for rational use of pesticides for controlling of pests.
The Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance (APO) was promulgated in 1971 to regulate the import, manufacture, formulation, sale, distribution, use and advertisement of pesticides. Agricultural Pesticides Rules were enacted. Pesticides are registered under the trade name (Form-1) after efficacy evaluation trials of two crop seasons by at least two research agencies including Provincial and Federal. Products to be approved under this scheme are first standardized by Provincial Government with final approval granted by the Federal Government on advice of Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee (APTAC). It normally takes three years to get a product approved under Form-1 scheme.
Pesticides were largely used for general plant protection. Usage had grown from about 915 tonnes in 1981 to 43 577 tonnes in 2006. Usage was mainly in cotton, paddy, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables. Cotton alone accounted for about 70 percent of the total consumption of active ingredient of pesticides and this had resulted in the phenomenal rise in cotton production in the country.
The Government has initiated a project for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for the certification of orchards from where exports would be made to different countries. The Federal Government, with the coordination of provincial agriculture departments has devised different strategies for pest management of cotton, wheat and rice. IPM projects have been implemented for cotton in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. A record production of 13 million bales of cotton was obtained in 2006-2007. With the introduction of IPM programmes, the pesticides market has shrunk from US$173 million in 2005 to US$98 million in 2006.
The plant protection function in the Philippines is largely under the auspices of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). Two divisions under BPI are undertaking plant protection and plant quarantine. The BPI-Plant Quarantine Service has direct technical supervision over regional and provincial quarantine stations nationwide while the Crop Protection Division maintains a collaborative arrangement with the Regional Field Units of the Department of Agriculture.
BPI, as the NPPO, is the primary implementor of the SPS Agreement relating to plant health and pesticide residues. Another agency, the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) is involved in the implementation of the international pesticide convention.
BPI is currently completing various programmes and institutional strengthening to focus on public image, efficiency and technical excellence to cope up with the challenges of economic globalization.
The Plant Quarantine Laws of the Philippines remain unchanged since enactment in 1978. Various rules and regulations have also been issued. The Philippines presently complies to the IPPC and ISPMs. The IPPC portal is often used to upload new information and regulations.
To date there are two pest-free areas in the country and there is an ongoing national survey to establish the Philippines (except Palawan Islands) as mango pulp and seed weevil free area.
The discovery of the Hispine beetle (Brontispa longissima Gestro) in coconut in 2005 led to the issuance of BPI Special Quarantine Order No. 3, series of 2005 to regulate the movement of coconut and other palm plants and products. Despite the issuance of the regulation, the BPI has encountered difficulty in controlling the pest. Philippines also reported the on-going establishment of a national fruit fly surveillance system.
The present national policy is for the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). However, implementation is decentralized to the different local government units with the Department of Agriculture (including BPI) providing the direction. The IPM strategy is now coupled with massive training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to address the concern on food safety and environmental protection.
The Philippines pesticide registration system has been designed to ensure proper pesticide use through proper labeling with the end objective of protecting the applicator, public and the environment. As of December 2006, there were 227 active ingredients in 1 090 formulations registered for agriculture and household use. At present, pesticide residue monitoring is done both for local and international market. There are initiatives to strengthen further this area in anticipation of the increase in the volume of commodities that need pesticide residue testing. In summary, pest management and pesticide management are directly complementary to achieve the end objective of controlling pests while protecting human and environment.
The Philippines has recognized that implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) with an emphasis on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as the only sustainable way of protecting crops, human health, and environment. Various strategies have been undertaken including the use of GM (e.g. BT corn to reduce pesticide use) crops which passed through very stringent regulations prior to approval. GAP is now also the main strategy to ensure that Philippine products meet SPS requirements of importing countries.
Being an archipelago with 7 107 islands, the Philippines has a huge task of protecting its borders from regulated pests that might be carried by the increasing volume of international trade. These are challenges the Philippines will take.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) of the Republic of Korea actively encouraged farmers to use the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) in accordance to the Environment-friendly Agriculture Promotion Act revised in 2001, to promote the sustainable environment-friendly agriculture at the government level, and devoted efforts to the development and distribution of microbial pesticides and biocontrol agents. The Republic of Korea, considering the rapid increase of domestic as well as international concerns over the environment protection and food safety, intends to steadily pursue sustainable environment-friendly agriculture. Control techniques using natural enemies for greenhouse pests have been developed and are being increasingly used for various crops.
The Rural Development Administration is monitoring the occurrence of key pests across the country by operating 149 rice monitoring stations and 1 403 observatory posts for rice and major vegetables. The Standards for the Registration Test Method of Bio-Pesticide and the Registration Application Document Act was reviewed in April 2005, and encouraged the development and registration of low-toxic, non-residual, environment-friendly bio-pesticides such as natural extracts and pheromones.
The National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) of Republic of Korea has continuously improved the regulations and practices to develop an international standard-harmonized and transparent plant quarantine system.
Recently the NPQS of Republic of Korea is preparing for the implementation of LMO border control measures, which is expected to start next year. The NPQS had established the one-stop civil application settlement system which enabled importers to request the inspection of imported plant and plant products and to be allowed to know the result of the inspection (through internet). This saves personnel resources and time.
To cope with increasing quarantine inspections, the number of plant quarantine officers has increased yearly. In response to import requests from various countries, NPQS has conducted PRAs on commodity related pest and posted new import requirements for various commodities. Seventy-two new quarantine pests were identified in 2006, resulting in 1 935 quarantine pests in total. The WTO-SPS were notified of these changes in legal procedures. The NPQS of Republic of Korea hosted international cooperation programmes such as `ASEAN plant quarantine expert training programme' and `IPPC regional workshop on ISPM drafts' in APPPC region.
In Sri Lanka, plant protection is the responsibility of the state and assigned to the Department of Agriculture eventhough other government agencies are involved. The establishment of the NPPO and its coordination with NPQS, PPS, and ROP along with relevant research institutions under the Department of Agriculture and outside DOA has enabled effective implementation of obligations under IPPC and SPS/WTO.
The regulations of the PP Act No. 35 of 1999 were to be gazetted after receiving comments from World Trade Organization. A new building was constructed and occupied in 2007. A computerized system linking NPPO, NPQS and entry points was installed for the facilitation of imports and exports.
With the future development of the crop zoning for regional crop specialization, establishment of pest-free areas would be considered. A preliminary survey revealed that the fungus Fusarium subglutinans and false codling moth Cryptophlebia leucotreta were not present in major pineapple cultivation areas.
In 2006, eight export consignments were rejected out of 46340 consignments for which phytosanitary certificates had been issued. In 2006, seven quarantine pests were intercepted out of 2320 import inspections.
The list of regulated pests has been reviewed and is finalized; 164 weed species had been included in the final draft of the regulations made under the Plant Protection Act No. 35 of 1999.
ISPM 15 will be fully implemented by January 2008. The logo LK (Registration No.) (Treatment) (Debarked) IPPC format has been issued to six fumigators.
A contact point to serve as a link to the international phytosanitary portal has been established.
An action plan for national weed management has been formulated where 15 weeds of national significance were identified. Priority areas at institutional level include rice and rice-based cropping systems, OFC under upland situation and management of specific weed problems. There was an urgent need to increase the staff of PPS, particularly, research officers for entomology and pathology and also to extend the facilities to cater for the control of pest outbreaks, invasive species management, and pest surveillance.
Despite serious constraints in resources such as funds and trained staff for the progress of programmes, PPS has continuously involved plant protection of all major crops. Biological control programmes have gained considerable momentum in the management of several pests e.g. Salvinia and water hyacinth.
Except for laws and regulations on pesticide control and Plant Protection Act, there are no formalized rules or regulations for sustainable and environment friendly pest management in place in the country.
Changing the pest management practices of growers to environmentally friendly pest management practices is difficult and time consuming. Where IPM programmes have been implemented for rice, success has been tremendous. A concerted effort and a programme accepted by DOA would certainly help to reach a wider farming population. Suitable methodology would have to be developed to suit the different situations in training farmers.
Reduction of pesticide application by 80 percent among IPM practicing rice farmers and increase of yield by 20-25 percent was a major impact of past or ongoing international cooperation projects in IPM. The projects demonstrated that the IPM concept could be made realistic and practical at farmer level.
IPM was tested on chili, a crop that received most pesticide applications for the control of chili leaf curl. Farmers who followed IPM were able to save on pesticide costs and enjoyed increased yield from the crop compared to crops sprayed with insecticide. The difference was very significant.
The farmer group approach was found to be the best for the beneficial management of the ecosystem.
Attention is needed to ensure the adequacy of extension personnel and facilities for educating farmers in sustainable and environment-friendly pest management.
Focus on the management of the harmful effects of pesticides with special reference to health hazards due to occupational exposure and residues in treated crops have been intensified. Sri Lanka has launched a national organic agriculture production and certification programme with a view to reduce dependence on pesticides and to improve farmer income. The target was to replace the major class II pesticides with less hazardous types. All class II domestic insecticides were deregistered last year. All conventions related to pesticides were ratified and implemented in Sri Lanka and the Control of Pesticides Act and its regulations were in full compliance with the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. The organizational structure of the enforcement agency was revised to provide more autonomy for efficient coordination with other enforcement agencies.
With respect to bio- and botanical pesticides, there was no significant development during the period of reports, and an impact on the market has yet to be seen. There was no change in the list of banned/prohibited pesticides and there have been no corporation projects in pesticide management.
There was serious deficiency in properly trained personnel in some areas related to implementation and enforcement of pesticide regulations, including pesticide residue analysis.
The vision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) in a 10-year-period (year 2000-2009) was to "develop quality of life of farmers, support an adequate food production and safe consumption, and be a world leader of food export under the continual environmental and natural resources management." Overall mission statement of the MOAC during year 2003-2006 was: "to increase the production efficiency, enhance the value add from production process, increase a competitive competency level, and strengthen the root economics."
The Integrated Pest Management project (IPM) has been executed by MOAC. The overall objective of the project was to promote "Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in order to improve the environment and safety of the farmer and consumer from hazardous uses of agro-chemicals."
The Food Safety Programme set by MOAC started from B.E. 2547(2004). It has been implemented on fruit crops and vegetables. Under the project, GAP and IPM were the main approach. The Department of Agriculture (DOA) has taken responsibility for inspection and registration, and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE), organizing the training programmes for farmers where pesticide is being used intensively.
The objectives of the DOA are to study, research and develop a good breed of economic plants, and to transfer that technology to target groups, including public and private sectors, as well as farmers. The Department provided the analyses, testing and inspection services, and giving the recommendation on the utilization of soil and water, fertilizers, plants, agricultural materials, including the recommendation of high quality agricultural goods for export.
The missions of the DOAE were to increase farmers' competency on production, to transform value-added agricultural goods, to determine measures and approaches on agriculture promotion, quality control of goods and products, including the technological transfer on agriculture to farmers for increased income and stability in production and entrepreneurship.
In 2007, weedy rice was the most serious weed in paddy field in the western region (Kanjanaburi province) and in the eastern region (Nakornnayok and Prajinburi province). The infested area was 800 000 acres covering 21 provinces. The recommended control measure was the application of chemicals.
The MOAC signed three Ministerial Notifications on 26 April 2007:
In addition, three Ministerial Notifications were published in the Royal Gazette on 1 June 2007 and entered into force 60 days after the dated on their proclamation in the Royal Gazette (31 July 2007).
As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Thailand was committed to observe the agreements and obligations. In this respect, the mandate of the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) was also to strengthen the rules and regulations on agricultural and food products in both the domestic as well as in the international markets. While emphasis was placed on ensuring quality standards of export products, the protection of Thai consumers was equally important mandate of the ACFS.
Viet Nam became a full member of the WTO in 10 January 2007, and is committed to implementing the SPS Agreement. Viet Nam also ratified the Rotterdam Convention in May 2007.
During 2006-2007, Brown Plant Hopper-BPH (Nilaparvata lugens) and rice ragged stunt virus (RSV)/rice grassy stunt virus (GSV) caused serious damage in rice field. More than 500 000 ha were infested by BPH and about 170 000 ha infested by RSV/GSV. The coconut beetle weevil (Brontispa sp.) was successfully controlled using imported natural enemies. Viet Nam would like to seek assistance from donor agencies to evaluate the natural enemies (parasites) in the future.
The IPM programme in rice was supported by DANIDA, IPM on vegetable was assisted by FAO/IPM regional. These programmes have been completed. The national IPM and other projects/programme related to IPM assisted by a number of other donors were still ongoing. The main emphasis was "farmer participatory approach".
The national campaign on "food safety" emphasized the growing of "safe vegetables" and this GAP programme is still being carried out.
The plant quarantine system was further strengthened and received more support from the Government and international resources. The new/revised "Plant Quarantine Decree" in line with IPPC, WTO-SPS was approved by the Government on 5 January 2007. Until now, 11 ISPMs were adopted as national standards. The national plant protection and quarantine database and strategic plan 2007-2010 was approved by the Ministry and are being implemented.
The pesticide regulation/decisions are being revised and amended, and the pesticide management and education programme is now being implemented. As of March 2007, 696 a.i. with 1 930 trade names had been registered for use, 16 a.i. including 29 trade names of pesticides were restricted and 29 a.i. were banned.
Ongoing projects/programmes related to plant protection and quarantine are:
During 2006-2007, a number of trainings/workshops were organized:
Japan has continued to improve its plant protection system in accordance with the WTO-SPS Agreement and relevant international standards on phytosanitary measures since the last session of the APPPC. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is mainly responsible for plant protection and for the implementation of the action to control and prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants. Plant Protection Station (PPS), MAFF is responsible for the issuance of phytosanitary certificates and for the import/export inspections. The PPS of Japan consisted of 77 offices including 859 plant quarantine officers.
Based on the result of PRA for wood packaging material, Japan had amended its import plant quarantine regulation which was published on 6 October 2006 and entered into force on 1 April 2007. With a view to harmonize Japan's regulation with the international standards, the definition of wood packaging material and measures for it in the regulation has been revised in line with ISPM No. 15.
Japan had carried out two international cooperation projects on fruit fly related programmes. Japan had been working to enhance the phytosanitary capacity using PCE tools in Asian countries, and has placed an officer in Rome since 2007 for that purpose.
In Japan, adequate staff were designated for surveillance and management of pest outbreaks. In 2005, the guidelines on IPM practice were published. Furthermore, the specific guidelines using IPM for rice, cabbage and citrus to facilitate the implementation of IPM were provided to individual farmers.
Agricultural chemicals manufactured, imported and distributed in Japan were registered by the MAFF under Agricultural Chemicals Regulation Law.
The risk assessment and risk management of the products were conducted in terms of product quality, human health, and environmental effects by the Food Agricultural Material Inspection Centre (FAMIC) (reorganized in April 1, 2007; former name was Agricultural Chemicals Inspection Station), Food Safety Commission (FSC), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and MAFF.
Clarification was sought from Cambodia regarding the lack of plant quarantine checkpoints at border posts. The delegate replied that there are checkpoints, but the administration had decided that there is no urgency for the placement of plant quarantine officers at border posts. At present, there is only one plant quarantine officer on duty at the international airport. As such, implementation of plant quarantine has severe restrictions. Dr Kenmore took this opportunity to express his views in relation to transborder trade, and the blocking of trade, where regulations imposed should not be based on faster trade, but on safer trade.
The Session sought clarification on the new concept of plant protection in China. The delegate replied that the new concept referred to the commitment of the Government in the area of crop protection. In this sense, the new emphasis is on development of biological control, safer use of chemicals, and food safety.
A question was raised concerning the role of the Central and State Governments in plant quarantine issues in India. The delegate replied that policy matters and reporting of activities are done by headquarters. Regulation of export is the responsibility of both the Central and State Governments.
The representative from the Philippines clarified that the use of modern biotech knowledge refers to the cultivation of GMO crops.
Thailand clarified that weedy rice is a form of wild rice which can grow very fast and compete with the crop.
The Session agreed that some countries such as Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao PDR can work together to regulate pesticide abuse by studying ways to prevent transborder supply. The Session suggested that FAO put forward some assistance to coordinate a programme to address this problem.
