Vientiane (Vientiane Times) - Agriculture experts along with development partners and line departments of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry met Tuesday in Vientiane to present a new pesticide management decree aimed at environmental and human health protection.

The workshop for the new Prime Ministerial Decree on Pesticide Management (PDPM) was chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Bounkhouang Khambounheuang and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Representative to Laos, Dr Stephen Rudgard.

During the workshop, participants discussed and exchanged experience on the current pesticide management situation in Laos and introduction of the new Decree. Mr Bounkhouang said, “This new decree is another milestone in the implementation of government policy to bring the control of pesticide use in Laos in line with the international framework for the management of pesticides.”

Laos is already a contracting party to the Stockholm Convention and in 2010 also became a party to the Rotterdam and Basel Conventions. These Conventions are all part of the international framework for the management of pesticides.

The new PDPM is an important tool in regulating activities related to the import, export, transit, trade and use of pesticides in Laos.

Proper legislation on management of pesticides was an important factor in enhancing food and nutrition security and protecting human health and the environment, he said. The first regulation on the management and use of pesticides was promulgated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 1992 and revised in 1998, 2000 and 2010.

“The government introduced the new decree to ensure better implementation and enforcement of that pesticide regulation,” the deputy minister added.

The pesticide management situation in Laos and the need for strengthening pesticide legislation was assessed by a technical team from the Department of Agriculture that received technical assistance from FAO.

An earlier draft was reviewed by a workshop that enabled stakeholders to comment on the main elements of the new decree text.

Management of pesticides in Laos has now been placed in a broader context and this has been achieved thanks to the collaboration of relevant government sectors, notably relevant Departments within the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Legislation.

Dr Stephen Rudgard said FAO had provided technical assistance for the development of this new decree through the Swedish-funded Regional Programme for Pesticide Risk Reduction in South East Asia.

Both FAO and Sweden are committed to continuing their support to the Lao government, including the Department of Agriculture, to develop capacity for the implementation of the new decree and strengthening enforcement capacity.

By Times Reporters

(Latest Update October 26, 2017 )