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PCPA calls off strike
Jul. 10, 2008
Pakistan Crop Protection Association (PCPA) an organization of pesticides, insecticides and germicides dealers has called off an ongoing strike against a provincial Agriculture Department policy against counterfeit and impure pesticides. The strike call has been withdrawn for only the next 10 days, and would be reviewed at PCPA's general body meeting, scheduled for July 18, based upon how many of the assurances given to them by the Secretary Agriculture Javed Iqbal Awan were implemented by the government.
PCPA Chairman Ch Mushtaq Mushtaq said PCPA called off the strike in view of these assurances and pressure from farmers' organizations, although two issues still require resolution: "Giving level playing field to local formulators of pesticides against foreign formulators and devising laws about pesticide business according to FAO directions," said Mushtaq, adding that the requirement should be met immediately to get good rice and cotton crops.
He said that results of government laboratories proved only 3% of pesticides samples were tainted. Claiming that fake pesticides stand only at 0.25% of the total sold in Pakistan, Mushtaq said that those involved in the business of fake pesticides “had gone underground, and now the department was harassing genuine businessmen to score points.”
According to Mushtaq, people in the pesticides industry were afraid of losing their investments and had stopped importing pesticides. According to Mushtaq, dealers had pesticides stocks for no longer than 15 days, which could create a shortage of almost 50% of pesticides for rice and cotton crops. Due to fewer imports from China, explained Mushtaq, pesticides were in short supply.
Source: FCI
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