Registrations Scrutinized in Southeast Asia
24 October 2011 Companies that do business in Thailand already know how quickly markets can change. As of Aug. 22, Thai regulators implemented a re-registration system of almost all crop protection products.
The ensuing rush to re-register thousands of products has proven that companies with good GLP data will be first to market their products, and they will be the ones that redefine market share in the country. If you did business in Thailand prior to Aug. 22 and you are waiting for GLP data, then odds are good that you will be fighting for market share with companies and products that are already established.
Thailand’s re-registrations could become a template for the region. When FCI spoke to Halimi Mahmud, deputy director of the Pesticides Control Board for the Malaysian Department of Agriculture, he said Malaysia was in the process of re-evaluating its regulatory system for crop protection products.
“Many people think that the number of pesticides is too high and registrations are too easy to get,” Halimi says. “We are in the process of developing new guidelines that create a better structure for approval without stifling industry. But our expertise is very limited, so we must defer to organizations with expertise, such as FAO and WHO.”
These new regulatory procedures are intended, in part, to assure Western trading partners that companies importing food into the country adhere to the same standards followed by their domestic growers. And they can be a source of regulatory pride.
However, it is clear that a complete regulatory overhaul like the one taking place in Thailand creates a bottleneck of approvals. Subsequently, companies that want to compete in markets where regulatory systems are evolving must have GLP data ready to submit as soon as possible.
Learn more about registration systems and what they mean for specific markets in the November issue of Farm Chemicals International, where we outline challenges and opportunities for the region in our Southeast Asia Report and Trade Summit Preview.
The FCI Trade Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Dec. 4-7, will highlight regulatory changes in the region, as well as opportunities for post-patent chemistries, patent expiry and a rising middle class that is demanding more fruit, vegetables and meat.
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