MULTAN, Aug 17: Ten member-organizations have deserted the Pakistan Crop Protection Association (PCPA) to form a new forum called Pesticides Importers and Formulators Association (PIFA).

The PCPA was formed a few years ago to register the presence of local importers and formulators of pesticides against the once sole representative of the trade, CropLife Pakistan, which had a strong representation of multinational firms among its ranks.

Formed to give national firms a voice at policymaking forums, according to some insiders, the PCPA had always been an association representing people with conflicting interests.

The sources said that differences within the association increased with a sharp increase in the business volume of a pesticides marketing group from the Khanewal district against another influential group headquartered in Lahore.

Iftikhar Nazeer Chaudhry has been nominated the chief organizer of PIFA. In a letter to the authorities concerned, he claimed that PIFA member firms had a share of 33 per cent in the total pesticides import of the country.

"Statistics show that 87 per cent of the total pesticides import in the country is being carried out only by 18 multinational and national firms." He further wrote that the PIFA had been formed to overcome the monopoly of a particular group as a majority of the PCPA executive committee members were distributors of that group.

"We, therefore, urge that PIFA should be invited at decision-making forums as a separate entity which has a major share in the pesticides market." It may be added here that the office of director of trade organizations at the federal ministry of commerce and industry recognises only Crop Life Pakistan as the representative body of pesticides business in the country because the existing laws do not permit registration of more than one body from a sector.