Pakistan launches strategic adjustment of agricultural chemistry to build double defense line for environmental protection

Pakistan Launches Strategic Adjustment of Agricultural Chemistry to Build Double Environmental Defense Line

The federal government of Pakistan recently issued new regulations on the management of agricultural chemicals, implementing systematic security upgrades for the quarantine of imported agricultural products and local cultivation. At an interdepartmental meeting chaired by the Minister of Food Security, Wasim Aymar Chowdhury, a "two-track control" system was established: on the one hand, the application standards of methyl bromide (MB) were tightened, and on the other hand, the circulation of 12 high-risk pesticides was completely suspended.

As a party to the Montreal Protocol, Pakistan has strictly limited the use of MB to quarantine scenarios that lack alternatives. Although this colorless, odorless and highly toxic gas has long been used for food fumigation, the surge in its use has triggered environmental alarms. The data show that the annual consumption of cotton per unit area is 80 tons, which is equivalent to 3.2 million kg of carbon dioxide equivalent.

pesticide ban covers the production chain of staple crops such as wheat and rice and cash crops. Prohibited chemicals are mostly associated with acute poisoning, groundwater pollution and ecological chain destruction, and some categories have long been banned in the European Union and North American markets. Agriculture officials pointed out that the annual use of these pesticides exceeds 2500 tons, which directly threatens the occupational health of 2 million agricultural practitioners.

supporting measures include the establishment of a "pre-entry quarantine treatment mechanism", which requires exporting countries to assume responsibility for phytosanitary treatment, thereby reducing the use of MB in their own countries by about 40%. Redundant operations such as double fumigation will be identified and prohibited by the intelligent monitoring system, which is expected to reduce importers' compliance costs by 35%.

"This is an important milestone in the sustainable development of agriculture. "UNEP officials stressed that after the implementation of the new regulations, Pakistan will become the first country in South Asia to simultaneously connect the pesticide management provisions of the Rotterdam Convention and the ozone protection provisions of the Montreal Protocol, clearing technical barriers for the export of agricultural products to the European Union and the Middle East market. The Agricultural Research Council has launched the research and development of alternative biological control technologies, and plans to increase the coverage of green prevention and control of major crops by 60% within three years.