Availability of required pesticides: agrochemical formulation industry playing pivotal role

Chairman Pakistan Crop Protection Association, (PCOA) Engr. Jawed Saleem Qureshi has said that Pakistan's Agrochemical Formulation Industry is playing a pivotal role for making available a diversified range of required pesticides at farmer's doorsteps.
He said that after the introduction of import permission scheme by the government during early 1990's, Pakistan's Agrochemical Industry have been expanded from about 5 to 30 registered Formulation Plants. Qureshi said that even after the establishment of such huge local agrochemical formulation industry, the local formulators are being treated as importers.
The local formulators are deprived of the status to get registration at their own names. He demanded of the government to provide level playing field to the local formulators. The registration of formulated product be issued on the name of local formulator by providing the purchase agreement of technical grade with the manufacturer around the world.
Moreover he said that Director General, Plant Protection Department, Karachi has still not issued the Registration Certificates required for import of herbicides for all those companies who have completed all the necessary documentary requirements.
Secondly, the major part of the agricultural activities in the country are carried out in Punjab, therefore, more than 90 per cent companies dealing in the sales of pesticides are from Punjab. It is very difficult for them to move to Karachi for completing the formalities for issuance of the registration certificates.
Jawed Qureshi also demanded that registration certificates for wheat herbicides should be immediately issued and the part of registration of Plant Protection Department, Karachi should be shifted either to Islamabad or Lahore to give nearest access to the companies to visit office. It is also to be noted here that provincial government as well as the standing committee of senate for agriculture has also written many times to government to fulfil these demands but yet no action has been taken by the government.