Proceedings of the Asia regional workshop on the

It is considered that accelerating <strong>the</strong> development and dissemination <strong>of</strong> IPM technology with
intensified international technical cooperation and investment is important in solving <strong>the</strong>
resistance problems, too.
B. Testing, quality control and effects in <strong>the</strong> field
B-1. All pesticides produced, imported, exported and marketed in <strong>the</strong> DPRK pass <strong>the</strong> quality
control process.
With <strong>the</strong> recent rapid development <strong>of</strong> pesticide industry and <strong>the</strong> increase <strong>of</strong> sorts <strong>of</strong> pesticides
around world, not a few difficulties were found in <strong>the</strong> quality control <strong>of</strong> pesticide, especially
for imported ones.
The first is that <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> some imported pesticides are different from <strong>the</strong> specifications
on label or package <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> products and <strong>the</strong> analysis for <strong>the</strong>m is not carried out in time, so it
leads to confusion in using <strong>the</strong> products.
The second is that some pesticides are not analyzed because <strong>of</strong> shortage <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> means and
methodology for analysis and <strong>the</strong> products enter into application without passing <strong>the</strong> quality
control process. Some foreign companies put on sale <strong>the</strong>ir products thoughtlessly in
disregard <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> requirement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Code <strong>of</strong> Conduct to furnish <strong>the</strong> analytical methods and
standard materials <strong>of</strong> products.
To improve this status in pesticide management, <strong>the</strong> government strongly requires that
pesticide products be imported only after registration and identification <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m through <strong>the</strong>
quality control process like analysis and examination for samples before importing, although
<strong>the</strong>y are products that have been recognized in <strong>the</strong> composition or effectiveness. The
government is also establishing <strong>the</strong> working procedure to re-analyze and re-exam <strong>the</strong>
products even if <strong>the</strong>y have been distributed to users, in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> being requested from <strong>the</strong>
quality control agencies or users.
B-2. There is no legislation that requires pesticides to conform to relevant FAO or WHO
specifications, at present. And discussion is now under way to include <strong>the</strong> related-provisions
in <strong>the</strong> newly revised legislations.
B-3. There are laboratories for <strong>the</strong> pesticide quality control. But <strong>the</strong> capacities <strong>of</strong> local
laboratories are not enough to undergo <strong>the</strong> full, timely and exact quality analysis for <strong>the</strong>
pesticide products produced, imported, distributed and used in <strong>the</strong> DPRK. And few labs do
not carry out <strong>the</strong> analysis for certain pesticides because <strong>of</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> necessary equipment and
reagents.
B-4. All pesticides used in <strong>the</strong> DPRK are restricted by <strong>the</strong> permitted duration <strong>of</strong> safe use before
harvest, when being applied. The permitted duration <strong>of</strong> safe use before harvest is in line with
<strong>the</strong> international standard or is determined based on <strong>the</strong> residue analysis and permitted
residue limits in <strong>the</strong> country, according to <strong>the</strong> specifications <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> products. Especially, <strong>the</strong>
demand for <strong>the</strong> permitted duration <strong>of</strong> safe use before harvest is much stricter, in case it is
applied to vegetables or fruits.
The request on <strong>the</strong> quality control and effectiveness exam <strong>of</strong> pesticide products will be
getting stronger, and <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong> problems related <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> pesticide products in <strong>the</strong>
level <strong>of</strong> last users could be decreased in DPR Korea.
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