Paraquat ban extended by one year; BAPHIQ: phase-out unchanged, stockpiles must be depleted to prevent accidental ingestion
Announced on the eve of the paraquat ban taking effect: postponed by another year! Considering the current oversupply of paraquat stocks, with pesticide dealers and farmers still holding 700 metric tons of paraquat, and to avoid farmers keeping it at home afraid to use it, which could create other risks, plus the Council of Agriculture's assessment that it would take about a year to consume the inventory, it was announced yesterday (the 30th) that the originally scheduled ban on the sale and use of paraquat would be postponed by another year, now officially taking effect from February 1, 2020. Feng Haidong, Director-General of the Council of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ), stressed that the paraquat phase-out policy has not changed, and urged dealers and farmers not to purchase and stockpile any more.
News brief: The Council of Agriculture launched a ten-year policy to halve pesticide use, but in 2017 the nation's total pesticide use amounted to 10,549 metric tons, the highest since 2000, an increase of 1,045 metric tons over the previous year. Herbicide use reached 4,392 metric tons (calculated by active ingredient), also setting a historic high. Feng Haidong said in an interview that before the paraquat ban, many farmers rushed to buy and stockpile it, about two years' worth of normal sales, which caused total pesticide use in 2017 to hit a 17-year high.
24% paraquat solution was originally scheduled for a ban today (2019) in February, now extended by one year
The pesticide paraquat is highly toxic and is often misused by the public or taken in suicides with no antidote available. BAPHIQ announced that starting from February 1 last year, the manufacture and import of "24% paraquat solution" (hereafter paraquat) was no longer permitted, and that starting February 1 this year, the sale and use of all paraquat products was originally scheduled to be fully banned.
Pesticide dealers are required to report their production and sales data quarterly. BAPHIQ's latest inventory check on the 15th of this month found that more than 700 metric tons of paraquat remain in the hands of dealers and farmers. If farmers keep it at home afraid to use it, it could create other risks, so it was decided to extend the ban deadline by another year. "Right now there is simply excess inventory. Taking it all back for disposal would also be a huge burden. The most common way to deplete pesticides is to let the market gradually use them up. In addition, we may also consider allowing some paraquat products to be exported," Feng Haidong said.
However, BAPHIQ Deputy Director-General Zou Huijuan added that although export is one channel for depletion and paraquat exports are not currently banned, data from pesticide retailers' sales show that farmers currently hold more than dealers' stockpiles. "Farmers won't have the ability to export. If paraquat is left sitting at home, it will only raise the risk of misuse, so extending the deadline and promoting the safe use of paraquat to completion is the current priority."
If stockpiling continues, will the extension keep being prolonged? BAPHIQ: The market has not been able to manufacture or import it for a year
Feng pointed out that planning a pesticide phase-out requires considering its period of use and the progress of depletion, but reality does not always match expectations. Similar situations have occurred before: the highly toxic pesticide "methamidophos 40% emulsifiable concentrate" was originally planned to be phased out on December 31, 2010, but a later inventory check found that market stocks were too large, so the ban deadline was extended by two years. "Extending pesticide bans is not common, but market conditions must also be taken into account and adjustments made at the appropriate time."
Could this create doubts that farmers will keep buying and that the use ban will have to be extended again in the future? He responded, "The market has not been able to manufacture or import paraquat since one year ago (from February 1, 2018). The total amount now is just this much (700 metric tons)." He stressed that the government already has the data and the total market volume will not increase further.
Feng Haidong further explained that paraquat was commonly used in the past for weeding and for drying adzuki beans, and is a pesticide used in extremely large quantities in the country, with average annual technical-grade use of about 400 metric tons. Currently there are still 700 metric tons of finished paraquat, equivalent to about 180 metric tons of technical-grade active ingredient, so it is estimated that another year will be enough to consume the market inventory.
He stressed that the paraquat phase-out policy has not changed; the aim is simply to reduce the risk of stockpiling by extending the period of use. He also urged farmers not to purchase and stockpile any more, and said that as long as they follow safe-use guidelines, they need only safely use up their current paraquat stocks before the deadline at the end of January next year.
Ban on "33.6% paraquat-diquat suspension concentrate" unchanged, ban starts February 1, 2019
As for the paraquat alternatives originally promoted: nonanoic acid, which can be used for weeding, and the new adzuki bean plant desiccant "NA-yci1 adzuki bean plant drying treatment," both of which are safe materials, BAPHIQ stressed that promotion will continue, and it still hopes farmers can replace high-risk pesticides with relatively safe and friendly materials.
On the other hand, "33.6% paraquat-diquat suspension concentrate," also on the pesticide phase-out list, is a mixture of paraquat and diquat. Because there is no concern of excess inventory, the ban plan is proceeding as scheduled. Starting tomorrow (February 1), dealers who illegally sell it will face up to 7 years' imprisonment under the Pesticide Management Act and a concurrent fine of up to 7.5 million yuan, and members of the public who illegally use it will also be fined between 15,000 yuan and 150,000 yuan.