Illegal Pesticide Trade in Mekong Countries: Case of the Lao PDR

Reports on the increasing use of pesticides in Lao PDR (van der Wulp 2006; Lao-FAO IPM and FAO Pesticide Risk Reduction Programme 2009, 2011; FAO IPM Vegetable Regional Programme 2010) have raised the alarm about the use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) by farmers wearing little or no protection. Some of these pesticides, i.e., paraquat and methomyl, have been banned in the country. Lao does not produce active ingredients or pesticide formulations. Nearly all pesticides sold and used in Lao originate from Thailand and China, and to some extent from Vietnam. Lao, as with most non-industrialized countries, lacks the technology to dispose of pesticides safely. Thus, enforcing pesticide regulations, for example by confiscating illegal pesticides, becomes a challenge in the absence of adequate technology to dispose of hazardous products. Regional cooperation among countries is needed, especially from the pesticide manufacturing countries in order to protect communities from toxic chemicals and to enforce national laws. Pesticide manufacturing countries should take measures to both 1) prevent exports of pesticides to countries which have banned them, and 2) accept returned chemicals from countries where they have been confiscated by government authorities. The Strategic Approach on International Chemicals Management (SAICM) offers an adequate framework to advance an international policy mechanism to curtail the illegal flow of pesticides. Furthermore, international donors and development agencies should support government policies that promote sustainable agriculture, free of hazardous chemicals, which reduces the incentive for illegal trade