Effective management of pesticides for sustainable agricultural development

On September 4, CropLife International in collaboration with the Plant Protection Department ( Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ), the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and CropLife Vietnam Association organized an international conference on pesticide packaging management in 2024.

Director of Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Huynh Tan Dat spoke at the conference.

This international conference gathered the participation and experience sharing of more than 50 leading experts in packaging management in the world , along with many officials from pesticide management agencies and pesticide associations in Southeast Asian countries.

Accordingly, during 3 days (September 4-6), the conference took place around many different topics on the collection and management of pesticide packaging as well as trends in management and support for these activities globally, focusing on discussions in Asia and Vietnam.

Speaking at the conference, Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Huynh Tan Dat said that the Plant Protection Department highly appreciated the objectives of this conference, especially in emphasizing the importance of enhancing cooperation and sharing responsibilities of all relevant parties, in order to promote sustainable management methods and practices for collecting and treating pesticide packaging. This is an important link in the entire life cycle product management activities of the industry.

“From a management perspective, we also hope that experts at the conference will share more experiences and mechanisms for managing used pesticide packaging in other countries so that we can continue to provide guidance and implement appropriate management methods in Vietnam, towards the current goal of developing sustainable and circular agriculture ,” Mr. Huynh Tan Dat emphasized.

CropLife Vietnam Chairman Dang Van Bao speaks at the conference.

Sharing at the conference, Mr. Andrew Ward - Director of CropLife International Management said: “CropLife and its member companies have pioneered the implementation of agricultural plastic management through the establishment of pesticide packaging management systems in more than 60 countries. Many of these systems not only handle pesticide packaging but also extend the management of many other types of agricultural waste. These systems not only demonstrate the effectiveness of risk management but also create specific benefits for the environment, especially when pesticide containers have been recycled into many other plastic products”.

According to CropLife Vietnam Chairman Dang Van Bao, in recent years, CropLife Vietnam has closely coordinated with the Plant Protection Department and many industry partners to deploy pilot models on instructions for safe and effective use of pesticides in key agricultural production areas such as Son La and Dong Thap.

Specifically, by instructing farmers on how to dispose of used packaging, setting up storage tanks and organizing many packaging collection campaigns, CropLife Vietnam hopes to gradually change farmers’ usage habits in a more sustainable way. In addition, CropLife Vietnam also continuously researches to improve the way pesticides are packaged, using safe materials that are suitable for Vietnam’s farming conditions.

EuroCham is actively promoting sustainable practices in Vietnam, including in the agricultural sector. Sustainable agriculture is vital to food security, environmental protection and economic growth, so EuroCham is ready to work with the government, its members and stakeholders to address the challenges of agricultural plastic waste management.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/quan-ly-hieu-qua-thuoc-bao-ve-thuc-vat-de-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung.html