Innovating Pesticide Management Approaches to Meet New Requirements of Agricultural Development

As an important agricultural input, the production, distribution and use of pesticides are closely tied to ensuring the effective supply of agricultural products and the stable development of agricultural production. At present, new changes such as the structural reform of the agricultural supply side, adjustments to the planting structure, adjustments to laws and policies, and transformation of the industry structure have set new requirements for pesticide management work.

First, from the perspective of the agricultural and rural economic situation, as farmland transfer accelerates, new types of business entities continue to grow, new technologies such as seed coating, soil treatment and integrated water-fertilizer-pesticide management and large-scale plant protection machinery are further promoted, and the development of new organizational methods such as unified prevention and control has brought fundamental changes to the traditional production, distribution and use of pesticides. Second, the adjustment of the planting structure has taken substantive steps and will have a profound impact on the pesticide industry structure. On the one hand, the fight against pests, diseases and weeds in staple crops such as main grains must remain a constant concern; on the other hand, the expected demand for pesticides for vegetables and specialty crops is rising, requiring pesticide management departments and enterprises to carry out registration and technical reserves in advance. In addition, the price formation mechanism for agricultural products is trending toward marketization, which will inevitably force pesticide manufacturers to reduce costs and increase efficiency and to produce more efficient, safer and more economical pesticide products. The goal and task of zero growth in pesticide use by 2020 is also a challenge facing both pesticide management departments and the industry.

From the perspective of the pesticide industry situation, the structure of registered pesticide products in China has been continuously optimized, and the trend toward low toxicity and environmental friendliness is clear. However, the industry's innovation capacity is not strong, and some problems that have long plagued industrial development remain unresolved. First, there are many enterprises but they are not strong. The number of domestic enterprises has reached more than 2,000, but only 40 have sales exceeding 1 billion yuan, and the top ten enterprises account for less than 10% of sales, so the industry lacks economies of scale, brand effects and core competitive advantages. Second, product homogenization is serious. The current situation in which domestic enterprises rush in droves to register and produce varieties after patent protection expires has not changed. The structural contradiction of too many identical products is prominent, and registered pesticides for some specialty crops are lacking. Third, profit margins on pesticide exports are thin. Pesticide exports remain at the stage of competing on price and quantity, neglecting brands, and acting as "contract manufacturing" for multinational companies, while the share of high-value-added formulation exports remains low. Fourth, overcapacity is becoming increasingly severe. The pesticide industry faces the dual task of resolving structural overcapacity and safeguarding the diversified needs of agricultural production.

Facing the new situation and new requirements, pesticide registration work must closely focus on the main line of "improving quality and efficiency, transforming the development model, stabilizing grain production, increasing incomes and achieving sustainability," firmly establish the development concepts of "innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing," and actively adapt to the needs of the structural reform of the agricultural supply side and the adjustment of the planting structure.

In terms of management philosophy, the focus should shift mainly from mechanism innovation to equal emphasis on institutional and mechanism innovation, paying more attention to the building of systems and institutions, and achieving review, management and supervision in accordance with the law; in terms of the focus of work, the focus should shift mainly from technical review to equal emphasis on technical review and market supervision, paying more attention to examining and improving review work from the perspective of the entire industrial chain; in terms of methods and approaches, the focus should shift mainly from paper-based review to equal emphasis on paper-based and electronic review, paying more attention to informatization and realizing online handling of the entire pesticide review and inquiry process; in terms of governance means, the focus should shift mainly from a single administrative management approach to equal emphasis on management and services, paying more attention to scientific governance combining "decentralization, management and service," and ensuring that review is scientific, standardized and transparent.

For some time to come, pesticide registration work must focus on building a system of rules and regulations that connects with the new "Regulations," and continuously raise the level of legalization of pesticide management; establish a market supervision mechanism covering production and distribution, and continuously raise the level of precision in pesticide supervision; improve a set of technical standards and specifications based on risk assessment, and continuously raise the level of scientific pesticide registration review; build an open and shared big data platform for pesticides, and continuously raise the level of informatization in pesticide management; and consolidate the foundation for system development, continuously raising the level of long-term support for the healthy development of pesticide management.

At present, several tasks must be prioritized: First, accelerate the drafting of supporting regulations for the "Regulations" and make preparations for the implementation of pesticide production licenses and distribution licenses. Second, improve the registration review mechanism and accelerate the registration of products urgently needed by modern agriculture. Formulate the "List of Specialty Minor Crops" and explore a green channel for group registration; study and improve the working mechanism for solving the lack of available pesticides for minor specialty crops; and accelerate the registration of new pesticide formulations suitable for simplified and light cultivation systems, unified prevention and control, and large-scale plant protection machinery. Third, strengthen the re-evaluation of pesticide registration and continue to carry out monitoring of safety risks in pesticide use; for varieties with high frequency of use, large dosage and serious resistance development, study and propose management measures. Fourth, focus on the revision and formulation of pesticide residue standards, taking into account both the urgent needs of agricultural production and the gaps in standards for minor specialty crops, and add 1,000 pesticide residue standards. Fifth, accelerate the research and application of risk assessment technologies, develop a batch of urgently needed technical method systems for residue, health and environmental risk assessment and a risk assessment standard system with independent intellectual property rights, and on the basis of traceable management of highly toxic pesticides, comprehensively promote the pesticide product identity code system and advance traceable management throughout the entire process of pesticide production, distribution and use.