National People’s Congress deputy and Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Song Bao’an: China’s pesticide innovation will surely catch up with and surpass the international leading level.

The primary purpose of pesticides is to ensure stable grain production and increase farmers’ incomes. “By ‘plant protection,’ we mean safeguarding crops throughout the entire production process, rather than the traditional approach of targeting individual pests or diseases,” explained Song Bao’an. “In the full‑cycle plant protection solutions for crop production, emphasis must be placed on green practices and greater environmental friendliness.” When selecting pesticides, priority should be given to biopesticides and biological control technologies, with a focus on environmentally friendly formulations and product types. Moreover, viable solutions must be provided to address pests and diseases throughout the entire growth cycle of the crop. At the very source of cultivation—seeds—plant protection efforts should deliver cleaner, more labor‑efficient seed‑treatment products, while emphasizing seed health and adopting a preventive‑oriented plant‑protection strategy for managing crop pests and diseases. “Starting plant protection at the seed stage—the very origin of the crop—embodies our advocacy for ‘public‑oriented, science‑based, and green’ plant protection. And none of this can be achieved without the use of green pesticides,” emphasized Song Bao’an.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China made significant strides in both the level and capacity of pesticide research and development, particularly in creating products to address major crop pests and diseases. Song Bao’an noted that in China, pests such as the stem borer, rice leafroller, and brown planthopper; diseases like Fusarium head blight and rust; and weeds including wild oats and resistant barnyardgrass—all pose serious challenges to agricultural production. In recent years, In response to these needs, China has developed more than fifty high-quality pesticide varieties, which have played a vital role in agricultural production. He cited as an example Qingdao Qingyuan Resistance‑Weed Control Co., Ltd. in Shandong, where Chairman Lian Lei leads a young, 300‑member R&D team that has developed four to five innovative agrochemical products, including triazolosulfuron, benzofluoropyrimidine, and cyclopyrifluazone. The company achieves annual sales of 400 million yuan, with an application and promotion area exceeding 20 million mu, delivering outstanding results in controlling resistant weeds and reaching an internationally leading level. It has filed as many as 100 PCT international patents. Its products are also exported to numerous countries across Europe, Asia, and beyond, not only addressing domestic challenges but also exporting its technology overseas.

“Of course, while recognizing our achievements, We must also recognize that, with respect to the critical bottleneck of original molecular targets and the innovation of major agrochemical varieties, we still lag significantly behind developed countries, making it difficult to compete in the international market and meet domestic agricultural production needs. “Song Bao’an stated. China’s pesticide development remains confined to isolated modules, lacking a cohesive system. By contrast, leading international agrochemical companies have integrated into a comprehensive technological framework that encompasses novel target‑identification technologies, natural‑product‑based activity‑optimization methods, high‑throughput screening, bio‑rational molecular design, combinatorial chemistry and biomimetic synthesis, green manufacturing processes, and risk‑assessment methodologies. While China has made progress in these areas over recent years, significant gaps still persist.”

As the 14th Five-Year Plan advances high-quality agricultural development, particularly in response to the two bottom lines set forth in this year’s No. 1 Central Document—ensuring food security and preventing large-scale relapse into poverty—China will vigorously promote green agriculture, placing strong emphasis on food security, agricultural product safety, food safety, and ecological security. At the same time, it will continue to strengthen the adoption and application of green, digital, and intelligent technologies in agricultural production. To accelerate the green, high-quality development of the pesticide industry, and to vigorously establish five major systems—modern pesticide production, marketing, safe use, regulatory services, and scientific‑technological innovation—the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with several other departments, has issued the National Pesticide Industry Development Plan for the 14th Five-Year Period. “Against the backdrop of such favorable policy conditions, after years of accumulated research, the agrochemical industry has established a solid foundation, and its capabilities in pesticide discovery are sure to catch up with and surpass the international leading level,” said Song Bao’an, expressing unwavering confidence in the sector’s development.