Gov’t aiming to phase out unsafe pesticides

MANILA  -The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Unido) and the Philippines’ Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) are jointly implementing a project to eliminate the use of harmful farm inputs in crop production.

Called “Promoting eco-friendly crop protection solutions for persistent organic pollutant and highly hazardous pesticide reduction in Asia,” it seeks to reduce persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) in the region.

Unido is the lead implementer while FPA is the main partner of the initiative which began last Sept. 1 and will end on Oct. 31, 2028. It will be funded by Vancouver-based multilateral environmental fund Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The FPA is currently in discussions with Unido and other relevant stakeholders to discuss project updates and implementation arrangements.

“The primary objective of the project is to gradually phase out the manufacturing of HHP pesticides with bio-pesticides and totally ban the production of POP pesticides,” based on a document uploaded on the GEF website.

The project intends to establish sustainable financing, investment and incentive mechanisms in the formulation, production and application of eco-friendly crop protection solutions to enhance livelihood, food safety and protection of human health and the environment. INQ