| Please grant green pesticide companies greater room to grow.
The philosophy that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” has increasingly taken root in the public consciousness, and at the national level, environmental protection policies will only grow progressively stricter. Safeguarding ecological sustainability is integral to every facet of industrial development. In an interview with our reporter, Luo Jinren, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and director of the Key Laboratory for Pesticide Research and Application Technology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, noted that due to one-sided or even mistaken perceptions of pesticides and the industry, not only do ordinary citizens view them with apprehension, but pesticide manufacturers also frequently face skepticism. He called for greater support and broader opportunities for pesticide companies that adhere to standards and produce environmentally friendly products, emphasizing their indispensable role in advancing China’s agricultural sector.
Representative Luo Jinren stated that during grassroots field visits conducted alongside the China Pesticide Industry Association, many pesticide companies expressed considerable reluctance. While there is now a push to relocate chemical enterprises into industrial parks—pesticide firms included—the challenge of finding a site that will not draw widespread disapproval remains significant. Pesticide manufacturers and intermediate‑product producers, often misunderstood, are virtually branded as “polluters.” Under mounting environmental‑protection pressures, despite the proliferation of investment‑attracting industrial parks across the country, no park is willing to readily welcome such large‑scale polluters.
Representative Luo Jinren stated that in recent years, the industry has experienced several major accidents, some of which have had significant repercussions—for example, the explosion at the Xiangshui Chemical Industrial Park. These incidents have indeed imposed negative impacts on both pesticide manufacturers and intermediate‑product producers. However, it is also worth noting that an increasing number of pesticide companies are steadily ramping up their environmental protection investments, prioritizing green production and ensuring that their emissions of “three wastes” fully comply with regulatory standards. Since the launch of reform and opening-up, China’s pesticide industry has made tremendous strides, rising to become the world’s largest producer and a leading exporter of pesticides. Yet, some promising enterprises, as they undertake upgrades, modernization, or relocation to industrial parks, continue to face obstacles stemming from biased perceptions. Without targeted policy support and guidance, such companies risk being driven overseas, which would undermine the competitiveness of China’s pesticide sector in the global market. Moreover, the growing cost advantages—particularly in production and labor—of neighboring countries like India and Vietnam pose a potential threat to China.
This year marks the final year of the 13th Five-Year Plan, signaling that the blueprint for the 14th Five-Year Plan is about to take shape. With regard to industry development, Representative Luo Jinren recommends that, at the national level, comprehensive planning and strategic positioning be strengthened to safeguard the integrity of the pesticide industry chain and ensure its steady advancement across research and development, production, application, and promotion. He also suggests establishing several specialized pesticide industrial parks in suitable locations nationwide, thereby fostering the industry’s sustainable and protective growth.
Establish a specialized pesticide industrial park.
Pesticides are an essential agricultural input, playing a critical role in controlling harmful organisms, addressing sudden outbreaks of pests, diseases, weeds, and rodents, and ensuring increased agricultural productivity as well as food and grain security. Since the reform and opening-up, China’s pesticide industry has made significant strides, with both production and export volumes ranking first worldwide. However, throughout its development, the industry has faced constraints due to a confluence of factors—including national and provincial‑level industrial policies, safety regulations, environmental protection requirements, and technological capabilities—particularly impacting supply over the past two years. Luo Jinren, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and director of the Key Laboratory for Pesticide Research and Application Technology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, recommends promptly formulating comprehensive pesticide‑industry policies, optimizing production layouts, strategically planning the development of chemical industrial parks from a high starting point, and establishing specialized pesticide‑focused industrial zones.
Under China’s industrial policies and restrictions on development in key regions, pesticide manufacturers are trending toward relocating northward and westward. As a specialized segment of the fine chemicals industry, the pesticide sector is concentrated primarily in Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, and other provinces. In recent years, several accidents involving chemical enterprises have prompted shutdowns and inspections at numerous coastal chemical parks, disrupting pesticide supply. According to statistics, the operating rate of pesticide production facilities stood at just 48.4% in 2018, with an even lower figure in 2019. Beyond policy factors, labor costs in the southeastern coastal areas have been steadily rising, while shortages of land, energy, and other inputs have driven up both construction and operational expenses. Coupled with the national imperative to reshape the industrial spatial layout, domestic pesticide firms have begun shifting to the northwest—regions characterized by relatively underdeveloped economies and lower labor costs. However, the northwest faces significant challenges, including water scarcity, limited access to chemical feedstocks, and high logistics costs. Compared with coastal areas, its ecological environment is more fragile, posing obstacles to the growth of the fine chemicals industry.
While China’s pesticide industry faces constraints, countries such as India and Vietnam are vigorously promoting pesticide production, thereby undermining China’s global competitiveness in this sector. Since the Indian government launched its “Make in India” initiative in 2014, the agrochemical industry has expanded rapidly, prompting some manufacturers to shift their focus from China to India. Coupled with the environmental regulations and lower labor costs in India, Vietnam, and other nations, the share of products like mancozeb, pyrethroids, carbamates, and pyridine bases in global production capacity has continued to rise, posing significant challenges to China’s international competitive position.
Luo Jinren, on behalf of the delegation, proposed promptly formulating a national policy for the pesticide industry, optimizing production layouts, and guiding the sector’s healthy development. In line with national industrial development policies and national industrial park planning, he recommended undertaking high‑level, coordinated planning for chemical parks, designating suitable areas for pesticide‑industry development, and encouraging the establishment of specialized pesticide parks. At the same time, a standardized regulatory framework should be put in place to strengthen orderly management, enhance the professional capacity of chemical parks to accommodate such industries, and improve their level of professional governance. Furthermore, chemical pesticide producers should be guided, in a phased and categorized manner, to relocate to these parks, thereby preventing the relocation of pesticide production to environmentally and ecologically vulnerable regions.
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