Crop Protection China Monthly Report 1302

As one of the main formulations in China, EC products' registration number in China has reached 9,270 (as of 29 Jan., 2013), accounting for 37.93% of the total registration number of formulations. In view of the great number and good control efficiency of EC formulation products, how to solve the problem between environmental problems caused by EC formulation products and meet the demand for EC formulations has become a great challenge to the Chinese government.

After several years' discussion, China plans to carry out a standard, namely Limit of Harmful Solvents in EC Formulations, in the near future to gradually restrict the use of five harmful solvents which are now the main solvents used in domestic EC formulation products. Although there are still many domestic pesticide enterprises managing to register EC formulations after China carried out its policy to stop issuing new production licences for EC formulations on 1 Aug., 2009, they have to decrease the use of harmful solvents in their products to meet the limit value of mass fraction set by the standard. The implementation of the standard may finally help increase the production of green EC formulations which can ease environmental pollution and avoid the complete ban on the use of EC formulations as intended by the former policy, but it will also cause a large impact to the domestic EC formulation industry in the future.

Owing to the greater feasibility of the standard in practice than former policies, it is much expected by the public and is considered to be one of the most powerful pushes to urge the development of green EC formulations in China.