On May 17, the 8th Biopesticide Development and Application Exchange Conference was held in Qingdao, as sponsored by the China Association of Pesticide Development and Application (CAPDA) and co-sponsored by Qingdao Russell IPM Biotech Ltd.
At the conference, China’s biopesticide registration status and export situation of 2016 was discussed and analyzed.
Small proportion of Biopesticides
There are currently some 260 biopesticide enterprises in China, accounting for 10 percent of China’s total pesticide enterprises. China’s annual output of biopesticide formulations is approximately 14,000 tons, which amounts to Yuan4 billion and accounts for 11 percent of the total pesticide output and 11 percent of total pesticide value. In developed countries, such as North America and European countries, the use of biopesticide usually accounts for 30 percent of total pesticides in a country.
At present, China’s biopesticide development has moved into a relatively rapid growing stage, where a number of biopesticide varieties of proprietary intellectual property rights have emerged, such as Ningnanmycin, Shenqinmycin, Atailing, etc.
Limited varieties of registered biopesticide
As per Chinese Pesticide Registration Watch, up until December 31, 2016, a total of 35,600 varieties of pesticide formulations were registered in China, covering 670 kinds of active ingredients, including 3,575 biopesticide formulations (inclusive of antibiotics), covering 105 kinds of active ingredients. The number of biopesticide formulation registrations and the number of active ingredients involved accounted for 10 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively, of that of pesticide.
From the registered active ingredients, it could be seen that China’s biopesticide registrations were still concentrated on antibiotics represented by Abamectin. Up to the end of 2016, a total of 2,279 agricultural antibiotic products were registered, accounting for 64 percent of total biopesticide registrations, which included 1,649 abamectin products, accounting for almost half of the total biopesticide registrations (46 percent). The fact reveals a very limited variety of registered biopesticides.
China’s Biopesticide Registration Status by the End of 2016 (active ingredients classified)
|
Category
|
Number of Active Ingredient
|
Number of Product
|
|
Microbial pesticide
|
39
|
471
|
|
Biochemical pesticide
|
28
|
581
|
|
Natural enemy
|
2
|
4
|
|
Botanical pesticide
|
25
|
240
|
|
Farm antibiotics
|
13
|
2279
|
To be stricter, agricultural antibiotics are not regarded as biopesticides, neither are they acknowledged by the international market. Therefore, biopesticide development in China would be deeply embarrassed if antibiotics are taken out.
New Biopesticide Varieties Registered in 2016
|
Active Ingredient
|
Category
|
Target
|
|
Metarhiziumanisopliae CQMa421
|
Fungal microorganism
|
Rice plant hopper, rice leaf roller;
|
|
Coniothyrium minitans CGMCC8325
|
Fungal microorganism
|
Sclerotinia rot of colza
|
|
Bacillus methylotro-phicus LW-6
|
Bacterial microorganism
|
Citrus canker,xanthomonas, oryzicola, cucumber angular leaf spot
|
|
sophora alopecuroids alkaloid
|
Botanical
|
Cabbage aphid
|
|
D-limonene
|
Botanical
|
Bemisia tabaci
|
|
terpinen-4-ol
|
Botanical
|
Powdery mildew of strawberry,early blight of tomato
|
Declined Biopesticide Export Volume and Value
According to ICAMA, China exported approximately 3,000 tons of biopesticides in 2016, with a value of $46.93 million, being 31.59 percent and 40.63 percent down respectively over 2015. The pesticide export volume and export value of 2016 was 1.3725 million tons and $5.616 billion, where biopesticide export volume and export value accounted for respectively 0.2 percent and 0.8 percent only. The proportion of biopesticide exports is minimal, which can be even ignored. This situation absolutely does not match the position of China as a prime pesticide export country.
China’s Biopesticide Export in 2011-2016
|
Year
|
Volume（tons）
|
Change
|
Value( $ million)
|
Change
|
|
2011
|
3,313
|
-
|
50,44
|
-
|
|
|