Applications for the registration and licensing of 4,603 pesticide products from nearly 1,000 companies in Bangladesh have remained pending for two and a half years. Around 4,600 of these products have completed laboratory testing or field trials. While leaving local companies’ applications undecided, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has approved four chemical pesticides from Corteva Agriscience Bangladesh Limited, a US-based multinational company.
Many believe this amounts to unequal treatment of local pesticide companies.
According to available information, Corteva’s four products were approved at the 91st meeting of the Pesticide Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) on September 24. The same meeting also approved 45 biological pesticides.
The four approved chemical pesticides are Solaris 11.7 SC, Galileo Way 18.76 SC, Galileo Sensa 30 SC and Novixid 3.41 OD. They were approved for controlling various insects, diseases and weeds in maize, rice and okra. Their registration certificates are valid for three years.
According to sources familiar with the matter, PTAC held its 88th meeting on May 16, 2024. Following that meeting, the process of issuing registration certificates and licences for new chemical and biological pesticides was effectively suspended for an extended period before the 91st meeting on September 24. However, the approval of four chemical pesticides from a foreign multinational company at the latest meeting has left local pesticide businesses questioning whether their long-pending applications will ever move forward.
Of the 4,603 products submitted by local companies, around 2,300 have reportedly completed laboratory testing, while another 2,300 have completed field trials. Business owners have expressed disappointment and anger over the continued lack of decisions on registration and licensing.
They say the prolonged halt in registration activities has held back the launch of new products, investment and business expansion. Although applicants have spent substantial amounts on government fees, laboratory testing, field trials and other registration procedures for each product, they are not receiving timely decisions. They also say the relevant office is not providing accurate information, leaving applicants largely in the dark.
Meanwhile, the approval of four chemical pesticides from US multinational Corteva has raised questions about whether all applicants are receiving equal treatment.
Business owners believe that prolonged delays in registering effective new pesticides could restrict the supply of new products. This could leave farmers with fewer options for controlling harmful insects, diseases and weeds.
Asked about the matter, DAE Director General and agriculturist Md. Abdur Rahim told journalists, “All I know is that certificates were issued to several companies after the PTAC meeting. The PTAC chairman can provide further details.”
Saiduzzaman, president of the Bangladesh Crop Protection Association (BCPA), said the association had informed the DAE director general about local companies’ pending applications for product registration and licensing. He said assurances had been given that the applications would be approved in stages.
“At an earlier sub-PTAC meeting, we were told that another meeting would be called within the next 15 days. But that never happened,” he added.
The swift approval of a foreign company’s products, while approvals for products from more than a thousand companies in Bangladesh remain pending, has caused quiet resentment, disappointment and uncertainty within the pesticide industry.