It is estimated that about half of the world’s obsolete pesticides can be found in the former Soviet Union, with many of them stored throughout Central Asia. As an important centre for agriculture, particularly cotton production, the subregion was a heavy user of pesticides. What remain are inappropriate burial sites, regulatory and management deficits, and other issues.

A one-day workshop today in Bishkek is part of a wider FAO effort to help overcome these shortcomings. This workshop will kick off a series of others in the participating countries – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkey. The project on lifecycle management of pesticides and disposal of persistent organic pollutants is supported by the Global Environment Facility.