Chinese agrochemical production throughout 2011 increased by 21.5% to 2.6 million tonnes, reports the Chinese commercial information newswire, askci.com. Herbicides were the largest category, with production amounting to 1.2 million tonnes and accounting for 44.4% of the total. Insecticides made up 26.8% at 709,000 tonnes, while fungicides accounted for 5.7% with 150,000 tonnes. Jiangsu province manufactured more agrochemicals than any other region, where production amounted to 758,000 tonnes, ...

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has extended its suspension of short-chain ester forms of the phenoxy herbicide, 2,4-D, until January 31st 2013. Under the suspension, applications can only be made between May 1st and August 31st, with specified restrictions. Limits were first placed on ethyl, butyl and isobutyl esters of 2,4-D in 2006 because of concerns over spray drift (Agrow No 506, p 16). The APVMA began a review of the risks posed by 2,4-D spray drift ...

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has received an application from Cheminova to import the insecticide, Tripsol (acrinathrin 22.5 g/litre + abamectin 12.6 g/litre), for the control of potato/tomato psyllids (Bactericera cockerelli). The novel emulsion formulation is not registered anywhere in the world, the EPA notes. Abamectin is already approved in New Zealand, but acrinathrin is not. Trials in New Zealand have shown Tripsol to be more effective against B cockerelli on ...

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has recommended the approval of food products derived from BASF’s genetically modified imidazolinone herbicide-tolerant CV127 soybeans. The soybeans were developed in collaboration with the Brazilian agricultural research corporation, the Embrapa, and are due to be introduced in Brazil in the 2013/14 season under the Cultivance brand (Agrow No 627, p 18). FSANZ began assessing the application in September 2011 (Agrow No 624, p 17). Its decision is ...

The Chinese government’s efforts to achieve coherence within a domestic industry with over 2,600 pesticide companies could be discerned all through the year. The emphasis of the regulations introduced in 2010 seems to be two-pronged: to encourage consolidation within the industry, which, in turn, would spur more research, innovation and new active ingredients originating in China. The race to grab a piece of the glyphosate herbicide pie that began in the latter half of the previous decade ...

Chinese government representatives and industry insiders gathered at the IBC AgChem Asia Summit 2011 in Shanghai this month to lay out the road map for the development of the Chinese pesticide industry over the coming years. Zhang Wenming, director of the department of raw materials at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, explained the targets for the Chinese agrochemical industry during the country's current five year plan (2011-2015). Mr Zhang noted that since the period of ...

With Chinese agriculture employing over 300 million people and contributing most to global wheat production, there exists no doubt about the significance of agriculture to China. And as the country develops at the forefront of global science and technology, the ripples and associated benefits are being felt across a wide range of industries, not least within crop protection. China’s growth is most visibly evidenced by a staggering 800,000 km of roads built in just 15 years, a world beating ...

China has made remarkable progress in growing sufficient grain to feed its 1,300 million people over the past decade. The Asian giant shifted from being a food aid recipient to an international donor in 2005, a sign of its significant success in helping small-scale farmers boost productivity, says UN Human Rights Council expert on the right to food Olivier De Schutter. Basic self-sufficiency is a strategic priority for China, but its growing population, urbanisation and pressures on arable ...