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P A N U P S
Pesticide Action Network Updates Service
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Pesticides on the Rise in China
May 26, 2000
Pesticide production, use and exports are on the rise in China. In addition
to being one of the world's largest users, China is now also one of the
world's largest pesticide producers. Production jumped from an estimated
230,000 tons in 1995 to 424,000 tons in 1999. While production of
insecticides exceeds that of herbicides and fungicides combined, herbicide
use is growing quickly. According to Chinese government officials, Chinese
herbicide demand is expected to increase to between 67,000 to 86,000 tons in
2000-representing 30 to 40% of total pesticide demand. China exported
147,000 tons of pesticides in 1999, an increase of more than 35% over the
previous year. Exports are forecast to rise by 20 to 30% in 2000. Imports
were estimated at 48,000 tons in 1999.
Chlordane and heptachlor were listed among those chemicals targeted for
elimination by China's State Economic and Trade Commission in April 1999.
However, the government announcement did not make clear whether China will
ban these pesticides or simply consolidate their production.
According to Chinese agricultural experts, pesticide use is relatively high
in China's wealthy, developed areas on the southeast coast, while poor
areas, such as the Northwest, Sichuan, and Guizhou, use the least. Farmers
in grain growing areas in the North China plain who have been using
pesticides for many years are increasing their applications in response to
development of pesticide resistance. Crops receiving the highest pesticide
applications are fruit, cotton, corn and wheat. Pesticide use is highest in
greenhouses, where the chemicals are applied at up to ten times the rate of
application in fields. In the field, it is not uncommon for farmers to
double the recommended dose of pesticides.
Joint Ventures
A potentially huge pesticide market has attracted many foreign agrochemical
companies to China, including AgrEvo, DuPont, Mitsubishi, Monsanto,
Novartis, Reilly Chemical, Rhone-Poulenc, Rohm and Hass Chemical, Rotam and
Zeneca. They have moved in quickly to take advantage of a relatively cheap
and unregulated location for production.
Some key joint ventures include:
o Nantong Acetic Acid Chemical Factory and Reilly Chemicals formed Nantong
Reilly Chemicals in 1998 to produce pyridine, a pesticide intermediate to
supply Zeneca's paraquat plant in Nantong.
o Nantong Chemical and Rohm and Hass Chemical Company will produce dithane
for sale in China.
o Monsanto formed a joint venture with Hebei Provincial Seed Industry Group
to produce genetically engineered Bollgard cotton, which contains the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Pesticide Problems
Growth of the agrochemical industry in China has been accompanied by
problems related to quality control, unsafe application of chemicals, and
pesticide residues. Many products are sold under the wrong name, and in some
cases, banned pesticides such as DDT are sold under the name of legal
pesticides. The press has covered several cases where farmers were poisoned
using mislabeled products. Farmers also face the problem that the chemicals
sold as pesticides may not be pesticides at all. In addition, they rarely
receive training to use new products that come on the market.
According to a report from the Chinese National Statistics Bureau, 48,377
pesticide poisoning cases, including 3,204 fatalities, were reported in 27
provinces in 1995. Another government estimate placed total farmworker
fatalities due to pesticides at 7,000-10,000 annually.
Pesticide residues in food greatly exceed Chinese government standards,
which do not cover the full range of pesticides on the market. The
government's capacity to test food for pesticide residues is insufficient
due to technical and financial constraints. Nevertheless, Chinese consumers
are aware of the problem, and their demand for safer food has created a
market for food marketed as organic, Green Food, and "wu gong hai" (not
harmful). Organic is the only designation with rigorous certification
standards.
PAN North America's Work in China
The recent increase in pesticide production and use, coupled with a lack of
quality control and pesticide poisonings and residues, is cause for serious
concern. Fortunately, the Chinese agricultural extension system has
partnered with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) Programme to train farmers to eliminate their use of broad
spectrum insecticides and cultivate natural enemies of pests in their rice
fields. PANNA is working with these organizations and other local partners
in China to research the potential for expanding IPM activities into areas
served by World Bank supported development projects. This work is part of a
larger PANNA program that monitors impacts of World Bank financed projects
in Asia, especially regarding pesticide use and pest management.
Sources: Agrow: World Crop Protection News articles 1996-2000; interviews
conducted by Jessica Hamburger, Project Coordinator, PANNA, in China during
October 1999; "Pesticides in China, Global Pesticide Campaigner, Vol. 4, No.
1, March 1994; "China to Phase Out Petrochemical Projects," Asia Pulse,
Beijing, April 12, 1999; "Agricultural Pesticide Use in China," U.S. Embassy
Beijing, Environment, Science, and Technology Section, June 1996.
Contact: PANNA.
PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and
reporting on pesticide issues that don't always get coverage by the
mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a
non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable
alternatives to pesticides worldwide.
You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations for our work and all
contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Visit our extensive
web site at http://www.panna.org to learn more about getting involved.
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