A trade group representing pesticide firms urged Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha to delay a ban due Dec. 1 on three chemicals because of the potential disruption to the agriculture sector.
The move will be a shock for farmers growing crops such as rubber, rice, sugarcane and fruit because of a lack of alternatives, and the government should at least allow for a transition period, said Tan Siang Hee, executive director of Singapore-based CropLife Asia.
“The government should reconsider and think about the impact to the agricultural industry,” Tan said in a briefing in Bangkok on [Nov. 20], adding the repercussions would fan out from farming to other sectors of the economy.
Thailand plans to ban three pesticides next month over risks to health — paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate. The move against glyphosate, commonly sold as weedkiller Roundup, sparked resistance from the U.S., which in a letter asked Prayuth to delay to consider scientific evidence.
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In a letter to Prayuth, CropLife Asia said the planned prohibition could increase weed control costs to more than 8.1 billion baht ($268 million) and lead to a loss of yield worth over 13.5 billion baht.
Read full, original article: Thailand Urged to Delay Pesticides Ban Over Risks to Agriculture
