Thailand to ban use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos 10-23-2019

On October 7, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (Thailand), MOAC announced that Thailand has imposed a ban on the importation of three herbicides, namely paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. Since June 30, no more paraquat, glyphosate or chlorpyrifos has been imported into the country. The vice minister of MOAC held a meeting with representatives of the Agricultural Department of Thailand, importers, farmers and consumers, discussing solution plans for these three herbicides. They agreed that herbicides which contain paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos should be prohibited and products with paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos will neither be imported into Thailand, nor sold or used in the market from December 1, 2019 ongoing.

The decision to ban products with paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos will be first sent to the prime minister of Thailand. After the approval from the prime minister, the decision will be submitted to NHSC. The 29 members of NHSC will be reviewing the decision on October 27, 2019.  So far, even though associations of health and the rights and interests of consumers call on the prohibition of the three listed herbicide products, NHSC will only restrict the use of these products before looking for a better substitute.

The vice minister of MOAC will request NHSC to categorize paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos as Class 4 hazardous substances, which would prohibit the ownership, sale, import and production of these chemicals. The vice minister also hopes that NHSC will take the representatives’ advice in the meeting on October 27. In 2017, the health department of Thailand failed to ban the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos as other institutions insisted on using the three chemicals.

 

Paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos losing popularity in the developed world

Glyphosate is an herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds and grasses. Glyphosate is commonly used throughout the world, but it is strictly regulated in Europe. On September 4, 2019, Germany imposed a ban on the use of glyphosate, which aimed to protect certain insect populations. 

Paraquat is a powerful weed killer. However, it is highly toxic and can lead to serious health hazards and even death in humans. A fatal dose of paraquat will damage several primary organs in a human’s body, which will finally lead to major organ failure. Because of its potential hazards, the production, circulation, sales and storage of paraquat is losing popularity in the Chinese market and will soon be prohibited completely.

Chlorpyrifos is an herbicide developed by an American company, Dow Chemical, in 1965. It is also widely used throughout the world due to its characteristics of broad-spectrum effectiveness, as well as low chance of pests developing resistance. Its use developed steadily for several decades, and it is still a popular herbicide in some parts of the world.

Chlorpyrifos has already been registered by over 100 countries in the world, but it has been used in only a few countries after 2010. In 2010, the supply of chlorpyrifos in China and India accounted for over 70% of the global supply, while the supply in America, Israel and other countries slightly decreased.  In recent years, the supply of chlorpyrifos in China and India has made up more than 80% of the global supply. China and Brazil have become the biggest consumers of chlorpyrifos.

 

You can get more information about China`s herbicide market on our Herbicides China News Newsletter.

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