Chinese media Yicai reported on the 22nd that pesticides that should have been banned in China are still being detected in crops even after more than 10 years.

According to the article, banned pesticides were successively detected in random inspections conducted by market supervision administrations across China from January to June this year. In Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, in June, more than four times the standard level of chlorpyrifos was detected in potatoes being sold. Although chlorpyrifos has been banned for use on vegetables since the end of 2016, it was detected in crops in at least 13 provinces in January-June this year alone. The items include a wide range, such as potatoes, ginger, chili peppers, celery, and leafy greens.

Furthermore, methamidophos, which was completely banned for agricultural use in 2007, was detected from dragon fruit and chives sold in Guangdong and Hainan provinces. It is reported that phorate, which will be completely banned in 2024, was detected from vegetables in Hunan and Yunnan provinces, and aldicarb, which will be completely banned for sale and use from 2026, was detected in Zhejiang Province.

In China, since the implementation of the "Pesticide Management Regulations" in 1997, management systems for pesticide registration, production, sale, and use have been established, and 61 types of highly toxic pesticides have been banned from use. However, according to industry insiders, they are still being traded through illicit channels between sellers and farmers. It is said that the difficult circumstances of farmers are also a background factor, and amid increasing pests and pressure to secure yields, the reliance on highly toxic pesticides, which are effective and cheap, continues.

Food safety experts explain that Chinese agriculture is still largely dominated by small-scale farmers, and the insufficient penetration of scientific education regarding pesticide use are factors. In addition, the inappropriate use of freshness preservatives and other agents by some businesses during the distribution stage could also be exacerbating the issue of pesticide residues.

The Chinese government has been promoting the introduction of the "Agricultural Product Conformity Certification System" since 2016 and legalized it as a nationwide system with the "Revised Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law" enacted in 2023. New management regulations will also come into effect from February 2026, obligating producers to issue "Conformity Certificates" proving that they have not used banned pesticides, among other things.

However, this system effectively remains a mechanism of self-management and self-declaration by producers. Since small-scale farmers do not possess inspection equipment and cannot afford the costs of inspections by third-party organizations, it is said that there are many cases where certificates are issued without verified inspection results. Additionally, operational challenges of the system are also being pointed out, such as some cases where only samples without issues are sent for inspection. (Translation/Editing: Kitada)