MULTAN, Dec 30: The stakeholders in agriculture sector ask question these days that whether the country at present has any pesticides policy after the rescinding of the SRO160(I)/96 five- and-half-months ago.

The federal ministry of food, agriculture and livestock had quashed the SRO on August 11 last through another SRO782(I)/ 2003 while notifying the draft SRO781 on the same day to amend the pesticides rules.

The draft SRO781 was issued on the recommendations of the 36th meeting of the Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee (APTAC) held on May 31st last to suggest measures to rectify flaws in the pesticides business in order to ensure quality pesticides to the farming community, that too, on a competitive price.

Prior to the SRO781, the pesticides business in the country was being regulated through the rescinded SRO that was issued on March 3, 1996 after making amendments in the Agricultural Pesticides Rules 1973.

Notifying the SRO781, the Minfal had given a one-month period to the stakeholders to file any objection/reservation viz-a-viz the amended rules framed to regulate the pesticides business. Salient features of the proposed amendments in the rescinded SRO were that the importers/formulators should themselves undertake repacking of pesticides in retail packs before passing on to the distributors or dealers (as the case may be) with legal warranty of quality and quantity, all the registered/permitted pesticides may be sold under local brand names and the price mentioned on the label should be the same as that of given on the invoice while paying government taxes and duties including the GST.

The Minfal had issued the draft SRO781 after getting it vetted from the federal ministry of law and parliamentary affairs and November 1, 2003, was fixed as the date to start implementation on the amended pesticides rules. However, the authorities at Minfal called 37th meeting of APTAC on an unprecedented short notice of 48 hours on October 4 last. The meeting