On Friday, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and delegates from regulatory institutions in the countries of the region sought to advance the draft Central American Technical Regulation (RTCA) for biopesticides during a meeting in Costa Rica organized by IICA, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Central American Agricultural Council.

"Having a modern and harmonised regulatory framework at the regional level will bring many benefits to countries. The high value of supporting this science-based process and promoting international harmonization should be highlighted, as it helps promote trade and maintain adequate levels of protection," said IICA Deputy Director General Lloyd Day.

The initiative to generate the regulations takes place within the framework of the project of harmonization of the procedures for registration of pesticides and alignment of maximum residue limits, carried out in the region by IICA and the USDA. Nigel Hunter, USDA/FAS Global Pesticides Program Manager, explained that the current scenario presents serious challenges in terms of climate change, for which "agriculture has a transcendental role in giving answers and finding more sustainable life forms and alternative crop protection measures."

"Regulation will play a key role in mitigating chemical waste, promoting food safety and for Central America to advance as a global environmental leader in the registration of biopesticides," Dr. Hunter.As officials said. In the coming months, in order to consolidate the proposal for a Regulation to be delivered under the Secretariat of Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) for negotiation and approval.

"As a result, the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic may have a regulatory framework that has been harmonized with the most recent international ly in bioinsum regulation," he said. The specialist in Agricultural Health of IICA, Eric Bolaños, estimate that by the end of the year the region and the technical institutions dealing with the theme of biopesticides reach a consensus on the document and, once obtained, the draft will be delivered to SIECA.

Source: Agrolink