On 5 Feb 2013, China General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) publish the Announcement 23 of 2013 to revise the “Implementing Rules of Manufacturing License on Pesticide”, which will be of major significance for the Chinese agrochemical manufacturers.

The amendment removed the terbufos 86% TC and terbufos 3% GR from the “Pesticide Inventory for Manufacturing License” and added 18 products to the licensing list, which includes:

1. Soluble Powder (SP): acephate, gibberellin, monosultap;
2. Water Powder (WP): chlorsulfuron, pyrimethanil;
3. Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC): fluoroglycofen;
4. Suspoemulsion (SE): imidaclporid, pyrimethanil, mesotrione;
5. Technical (TCs): chlorsulfuron, deltamethrin, fluoroglycofen;
6. Soluble Concentrate (SC): imidaclporid;
7. Water Dispersible Granule (WG): imidaclporid, nicosulfuron, chlorsulfuron;
8. Microemulsion (ME): imidaclporid;
9. Oil Miscible Flowable Concentrate (OF): nicosulfuron;

Apart from the pesticide registration issued by the ICAMA, the Chinese agrochemical companies are required to obtain the manufacturing permit. Depending on the type of standards for the pesticides, the permit could either issued by the MIIT or the AQSIQ. If an official standard exists, i.e. national (GB) or industrial standard, the company should apply the manufacturing license from the AQSIQ. If there is no official standard formulated by the authorities, but only standards within the company, the company can report the quality specification to the local industrial authorities and apply for the approval certification for pesticide manufacturing from the MIIT. Generally, the official standards are usually more reliable than the company standard as the technology indicators and inspection method would be well considered by the official inspectors. With more official standards established by the authorities, the manufacturers will apply the permit more from the AQSIQ other than the MIIT, which could be perceived as the “dust settle” for the dual-channel administration system of pesticide manufacturing.

In addition, some incompetent products and technologies to be obsolete and restricted are specified in the amendment, which are listed as below. New application or license renewal application of these products and technologies will no long be accepted.

• The technology for high-temperature sodium synthesis of paraquat and unsealed production of dicofol should be eliminated from 2 Dec 2005;
• The technology for glyphosate 10% AS, trichlorphon-dehydrochlorionated for dichlorvos and Raymond Mill should be eliminated from 13 Oct 2010;
• Manual-filling technology and equipment for small packages pesticide should be eliminated form 1 Jun 2011;
• New construction facilities of brodifacoum TC, bromadiolone TC, methidathion TC, and isocarbophos TC should be restricted from 2 Dec 2005;
• New facilities of thiram TC, dimehypo TC, dicofol TC, glyphosate TC, chlorpyrifos TC (except for the aqueous method); triazophos TC, chlorothalonil TC, abamectin TC, imidacloprid TC, acetochlor (except for the methylene method) should be restricted from 1 Jun 2011.
• New application on manufacturing license for ethoprophos TC, endosulfan TC, methidathion TC, phorate TC, carbofuran TC, methomyl TC, omethoate TC, isocarbophos TC, aluminum phosphide 40% TA, methidathion 40% EC, phorate EC, isofenphos-methyl EC, methomyl EC, omethoate TC, isocarbophos EC, endosulfan EC, carbofuran 3% GR, ethoprophos EC and other pesticides will be suspended from 15 Jun 2011;
• New licensing for paraquat TK and paraquat AS manufacturing will be halted by 24 April 2012 and the existing manufacturing license for paraquat AS will be cancelled by 1 Jul 2012. The TK manufacturers of paraquat can retain the license of paraquat AS and the paraquat AS can be manufactured for export purpose only;
• New construction, expansion, and re-construction facilities for TCA and bromomethane have been ceased since 1 Jul 2003 and production of bromomethane will be halted from 1 Jan 2015;

The AQSIQ also stressed the concurrent obligation introduced from the hazardous chemicals administration. If the pesticides being produced, processed or re-packaged were classified as hazardous chemicals or dangerous goods, the companies should additionally obtain safe use permit or operation permit of hazardous chemicals, which would be issued by the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS). As ID-based purchase system will be imposed on trichlorfon, dichlorvos and aluminium phosphide, the manufacturing companies should establish sales account of the concerned products. They are required to label the insecticides with the warning “Use for food and feed processing is strictly prohibited!” and forbidden to sell the insecticide to the food processing or food operation companies.

When applying for the pesticide manufacturing license, the quality report issued by testing facilities should be submitted. Two testing facilities have been newly appointed by the AQSIQ and their testing items are listed with the other twelve facilities previously approved.

Please note that this article originates from the Chemlinked, for more information you may refer to www.chemlinked.com.