Biopesticide – Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)

APAARI’s Biopesticide Project Concludes with a Successful Closing Workshop in Bangkok

Vishwanath Sah — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 07:23:55 +0000

The Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) recently marked the successful culmination of the “Asia Pesticide Residue Mitigation through the Promotion of Biopesticides and Enhancement of Trade Opportunities” project with a closing workshop held at the Swissotel Bangkok Ratchada on 23-24 January 2024. The event brought together approximately 35 participants, including representatives from the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) team, country partners, technical teams, and private industries such as CropLife Asia and Jagro Fresh Sri Lanka.

The workshop served as a platform for participants to reflect on the transformative journey of the project, which aimed to champion the adoption of biopesticides complementing chemical pesticides to reduce the pesticide residue levels in the crops. Funded by STDF, this initiative was implemented by APAARI from February 2020 to December 2023 in nine countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and sought to promote the use of biopesticides while addressing trade concerns related to pesticide residues.

Through extensive support and training provided by the project team, study teams across the participating countries are now equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote safe and sustainable agricultural practices. The project focused on capacity building and awareness activities related to new Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) data interpretation, improved practices in manufacturing microbial pesticides, regulatory harmonization, and extension and outreach activities. Key outcomes of the project, such as the successful integration of biopesticides alongside conventional pesticides to reduce pesticide MRLs, were highlighted during the workshop.

The closing workshop facilitated fruitful discussions on potential pathways forward and the formulation of a robust sustainability strategy. The project team and the country partners summarized project activities, challenges, outcomes, and lessons learned, paving the way for continued collaboration and knowledge sharing in the field of biopesticide research and implementation.

Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Director of APAARI, expressed his gratitude to all participants for their invaluable contributions to the project’s success. He emphasized the importance of regional collaboration and capacity building in addressing trade concerns related to pesticide residues while promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

The APAARI team provided support and training to study teams, focusing on capacity building and awareness activities related to new MRL data interpretation, improved practices in manufacturing microbial pesticides, regulatory harmonization, and extension and outreach activities.

Overall, the closing workshop of the biopesticide project served as a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of the stakeholders in advancing agricultural sustainability and promoting biopesticide use across the Asia-Pacific region. As the project concludes, APAARI will continue to promote the activities and outputs initiated through the project to contribute significantly to the region’s agricultural sector and trade for years to come.

The Evolving Status of Biopesticide Regulation in Asia

Vishwanath Sah — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:10:09 +0000

One of the central challenges addressed at the workshop was the lack of harmonization in biopesticide regulations across Asian countries. A key focus of the workshop was aligning these regulations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Guidelines on the Regulation, Use, and Trade of Biological Control Agents (BCA). The ASEAN Guidelines serve as a regional framework to facilitate the safe and effective use of biopesticides across borders. This harmonization effort aims to streamline regulatory processes and promote the responsible use of these environmentally friendly pest management tools.

The workshop focused on enhancing biopesticide regulatory processes, strengthening the relationship between regulators from different countries, offering strategic technical advice, and addressing regional harmonization and capacity-building needs. APAARI is happy to publish the outcome of the regional workshop that was attended from regulators from Asian countries. For an in-depth exploration of the discussions and outcomes, we invite you to delve into the full report, available HERE.

For further information and inquiries, please reach out to:

Dr. Sasireka Rajendran
Project Manager, APAARI
Email: s.rajendran@apaari.org

As Asia marches forward on its journey towards sustainable agriculture, biopesticides emerge as powerful tools, offering benefits that extend far beyond the fields. The harmonization of regulations ensures that these eco-friendly solutions can be deployed effectively, safeguarding crops, the environment, and the health of communities across the continent. Stay tuned for updates on pesticide residue mitigation project.

First Biopesticide Regulatory Workshop, 16 March 2022

Vishwanath Sah — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 06:17:46 +0000

The first Biopesticide Regulatory Harmonization workshop involving all regulatory points of contacts of the participating countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam was conducted online on 18 March 2022. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Luis Suguiyama, Biopesticide Regulatory Expert, Ag Aligned Global, USA. Prior to this workshop, a survey was sent to all regulatory points of contact to determine the status of biopesticide regulatory development in line with the East Asia Biopesticide Guidelines in the participating countries. A secondary objective was to confirm the commercial availability of biopesticide products selected for the efficacy trials as residue mitigation tools. Based on the workshop, the project can ascertain that the participating countries have biopesticide regulations in place and in alignment with the 2013 ASEAN Guidelines on the Regulation, Use and Trade of Biological Control Agents.

Followed by the interactions from Mr. Suguiyama, the interactive session on the development of functional capacities was facilitated by Ms. Martina Spisiakova, KM Coordinator, APAARI. This interactions explored the type and importance of functional skills for regulators to enable them to successfully regulate the biopesticide development in their countries and promote further innovation in this field. The participants brainstormed on what is innovative in this project, and the development and application of biopesticides was only identified as one element of innovation. They considered other types of innovation more related to processes, which require a set of functional capacities, as understanding and regulating safety aspects of biopesticide development, explaining to diverse stakeholders what biopesticide is, how and why it is important to use it, more effective awareness and advocacy with farmers, while promoting what farmers already know (indigenous knowledge), broadening awareness to communities and consumers, and improving the legal framework, which is missing in some countries. The participants also explored what is meant by functional capacities and why it is important in the context of their regulatory work – through the key concepts of the Common Framework on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems.

As a next step in building these functional capacities, the participants discussed the planned workshop on risk communication to also include regulators, from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, together with scientists. They also validated the proposed agenda to include the following key learning elements:

understanding the importance of risk communication as a crucial functional capacity to enhance agricultural trade and ensure food safety
analyzing diverse stakeholders’ perceptions of pest-related risks in the region
understanding of the types and effectiveness of pest and pesticide-related communication strategies to different audiences
skills to formulate more effective messages addressing the perceptions of diverse stakeholders
skills to use different channels to raise awareness of diverse stakeholders about pest and pesticide risks and benefits of biopesticides