A New Beginning For Green Plant Protection In Pakistan: Biopesticides Registrations
23 September 2025, Pakistan: CABI, in collaboration with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) hosted an event in Islamabad to celebrate the launch of registration of biopesticides in Pakistan.
The event entitled “A New Beginning for Green Plant Protection in Pakistan: Biopesticides Registration” was Chaired by Federal Secretary, MNFS&R, Mr Amir Mohyuddin, and attended by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Counsellor Mark Dries.
It brought together senior government officials, regulatory authorities, private sector representatives, and development partners to discuss the implementation framework, investment potential, and sector-wide collaboration needed to ensure successful adoption of biopesticides.
CABI support has led to Pakistan legalising the registration of biopesticides to sustainably fight crop pests and diseases which threaten livelihoods and food security.
The MNFS&R approved biopesticide registration guidance to promote the uptake of safer-to-use and more environmentally friendly biopesticides to further improve the quality of food produced and to mitigate trade related issues.
Now the Pakistan Government has formalised the registration of biopesticides which will also help tackle high levels of aflatoxins and maximum residue levels (MRLs) affecting produce such as maize, chillies, cotton and groundnuts, as well as other agricultural commodities.
CABI part of a collaborative effort towards biopesticide regulation
Since 2018, CABI, in collaboration with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and with support of USDA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been leading efforts to formalize the registration of biopesticides in Pakistan.
Recognizing the limitations in the existing pesticide registration process to include biopesticides, CABI in 2019 initiated formal discussions with the regulatory authorities, in collaboration with experts from international development agencies and PARC.
To start this process, CABI convened a four-day workshop in February 2020 on the ‘Registration and Commercialization of Biopesticides in Pakistan.’ Efforts were made to understand the existing registration process and to develop the guidelines for registration of biopesticides in the country.
Understand existing global mechanisms for biopesticide registration
During the event, participants were provided with insights (data requirements, forms, procedures, labelling requirements etc.) to help regulatory authorities and other actors understand existing global mechanisms for biopesticide registration.
This included guidelines from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the US Environment Protection Agency (US EPA), among others.
Following the workshop, CABI facilitated extensive consultation sessions with regulatory authorities, and led a team of biopesticide experts from international development agencies and PARC who jointly developed a national registration guidance document.
This served to cover the registration process of microbial and biochemical biopesticides and their commercial availability in Pakistan.
CABI formally submitted the biopesticides registration guidance
Afterwards, CABI formally submitted the biopesticides registration guidance document to the regulatory authorities for incorporation into its regulatory system in July 2020.
The guidance document included new application forms for registration of biopesticides and relevant information – particularly with regards to minimum data requirements for the registration of active ingredients and formulated products; exemptions from registration; and guidance for waivers.
Over the period of last three years, the regulatory authorities led various consultation sessions with relevant stakeholders and authorities and concluded their due review process of the biopesticides registration guidance document.
After deliberated discussion, the biopesticides registration guidance document was approved from respective technical for, for example, the Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory (APTA) Committees.
What can be achieved towards ensuring greater sustainable agriculture
Dr Babar E. Bajwa, CABI’s Senior Regional Director, Asia, said the development and formalization of the biopesticide registration procedures in Pakistan, a major step towards sustainable agriculture.
He shared that since 2018, in collaboration with PARC and DPP, and with support of USDA and USAID, CABI has led the efforts to formalize the registration of biopesticides in Pakistan. Building on these strong foundations and the leadership provided by the MNFSR, he said, Pakistan is proud to have its formal Biopesticide Regulatory process in place.
He said, “The legalisation of the registration of biopesticides will lead to a reduction in the use of harmful chemical pesticides and will result in safer food production practices and more nutritious produce for internal and more profitable external markets.
“The collaborative efforts of CABI, MNFSR, PARC, international development agencies and the private sector is an example of what can be achieved towards ensuring greater sustainable agriculture.
“The legalisation of the registration of biopesticides should lead to a reduction in the use of more harmful chemical pesticides and result in safer food production practices and more nutritious produce for internal and more profitable external markets.”
Federal Secretary MNFSR, Mr Amir Mohyuddin, lauded the efforts made by CABI and other stakeholders in providing support in developing the biopesticides registration process.
This, he said, will be a longstanding contribution towards greener plant protection landscape in Pakistan. He also thanked the USDA for providing technical support to the process of development of the biopesticides registration process and believed that its adopting will help Pakistan meet global standards and secure our access to premium export markets.
Mr Mohyuddin assured the audience that MNFSR is committed reduce barriers to biopesticides registration, encourage investment in the process and accelerate access to safe technologies.
Local and International biocontrol manufacturers are being encouraged to register their biopesticides for use in Pakistan to help tackle the pests and diseases affecting the country’s major crops including wheat, cotton, rice, maize and sugarcane.
Some of the pests and diseases which hamper crop productivity include cotton bollworm and whiteflies, codling moth and spider mites on apple, papaya mealybug and tomato leaf miner.
Also Read: Two Rows of Grapes, Two Different Futures: How Biostimulants Are Reshaping Farming
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