According to the Collegiate Directorship Resolution (RDC)
177/2017, the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) maintained
the decision to ban paraquat by a vote of three to two on September 15, which took
effect on September 22. That means, paraquat will not be produced or used in
Brazil, and the import of paraquat to Brazil will be prohibited.
In 2008, Anvisa began reassessment of 14 agrochemical active
ingredients including paraquat, and later in October, 2017 announced the
Collegiate Directorship Resolution (RDC) 177/2017, which imposed a complete ban
on paraquat starting September 22, 2020. The 3 years before the ban took effect
were a transitional period intended to allow enterprises to gradually curtail
their use of parquat. The decision was made because paraquat is connected with an
increased risk of Parkinson's disease and has a potential mutagenic effect on
cells.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of
China increases regulation of paraquat
On October 9, 2020, the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China published a notice of increased
regulation of paraquat on its official website. The new regulation will require
stricter rules for the production and export of paraquat. According to the
notice, only enterprises with a production license of paraquat technical
concentrates and a registration certificate for exports are allowed to produce
paraquat technical concentrates in China. Paraquat manufacturers should apply
for official verification of proper qualifications for the production of paraquat
technical concentrate by November 11, 2020. In addition, manufacturers of
paraquat technical concentrates will no longer sell paraquat products inside
China, and paraquat products should only be allowed for export.
The notice also mentions an increase in
national supervision and spot-checks on other pesticides including aquacid,
glyphosate as well as glufosinate, to make sure that no additional paraquat is
added into these pesticides.
In 1984, paraquat was first introduced into the
Chinese pesticide market. During that time, paraquat was practical but
expensive in China. The principal of Shandong Academy of Pesticide Sciences
started to do research and development on paraquat afterward, and finally
successfully developed technology for paraquat production in 2004. China became
the second country to develop paraquat technology and the largest producer for
paraquat, and since then paraquat was widely used across China.
Glufosinate industry expected to flourish in
China as paraquat faces stricter regulations
Besides glyphosate and glufosinate, paraquat,
which is being used in over 120 countries, is the third most common
non-selective pesticide in the world. Recently, due safety concerns regarding paraquat,
the use of glufosinate in China and other Southeast Asian countries has become
more common. As a result, glufosinate has become the second most popular
non-selective pesticide in the world in 2018. The current prohibition on the
use of paraquat in Brazil has left room for other pesticides in the market.
China is also the largest producer of glufosinate in the world. With Brazil’s
ban on the production and usage of paraquat products, imports of glufosinate
from China are expected to increase.
Lier Chemical, Seven Continent and Limin Group
Co., Ltd. are the three largest glufosinate manufacturers in China. Among the
three manufactuers, Lier Chemical is the largest glufosinate manufacturer in
the world. Its production bases in Mianyang and Guangan cities can produce
approximately 17,000 tons glufosinate per year.
For more information on China’s herbicides
market, please check our Herbicides
China News.