Summary: On 31 Dec., 2021, MARA and GACC jointly issued the Announcement No. 416 on optimising administration and services for pesticide import and export, and the new measures came into effect on 1 Jan., 2022.

On 31 Dec., 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China (MARA) and General Administration of Customs, People's Republic of China (GACC) jointly issued the Announcement No. 416 on optimising administration and services for pesticide import and export, and the new measures took effect from 1 Jan., 2022. Along with the announcement, the Catalogue of the People's Republic of China for the Administration of the Import and Export of Pesticides (2022 version) and the list of pesticides covered by the Rotterdam Convention were given.

Previously, pesticide import and export companies must apply to MARA for the pesticide registration certificate for import or export before engaged in particular activities. Nowadays, such certificates for import or export are no longer needed; instead, a note of pesticide import or export is adopted. Each note is issued for one shipment of pesticides imported/exported, valid for three months. In another word, a note could only correspond to one Customs declaration form for import/export goods. Companies go through the formalities of customs clearance and release upon strength of the digitalised note. Under normal conditions, paper documents are no longer accepted by GACC.

If pesticide producers export by themselves, they shall directly go through the procedures via the system China International Trade Single Window. If producers entrust the export to traders, they shall sign export authorisation agreements with the traders. If producers export pesticides produced by their OEMs, they shall submit the OEMs' pesticide production licences and the OEM agreements. Pesticides registered under the export-only category or subject to special management shall comply with relevant rules separately specified. Import/export of the pesticides covered under the Rotterdam Convention, and of the pesticides prohibited/restricted in China shall comply with relevant rules and regulations specified in the Convention.

Pesticides shall be registered in China before they can be imported/exported, and the importers/exporters shall obtain pesticide business permits and be responsible for product quality. Besides, the pesticides exported should be manufactured by licensed pesticide producers. For enterprises exporting pesticides to China, their sales offices in China or the entrusted Chinese agencies shall deal with the note procedures; if multiple production sites are involved, information of corresponding production sites shall also be provided.