National High-Efficiency Low-Risk Pesticide Science and Technology Innovation Alliance was established in Nanning, Guangxi Province, on September 8th. Leaders from the Department of Science, Technology and Education and the Department of Crop Production of Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Academician SONG Bao-an, the vice president of Guizhou University, were present at the ceremony. IPP Deputy Director General ZHENG Yongquan spoke in the ceremony on behalf of technical supporting institutions and delivered an academic presentation entitled High efficiency and low risk: Only way leading to pesticide development.

Mr. CHEN Ming from the Division of Policy System, Department of Science, Technology and Education, MOA, indicated that the orientation of science and technology alliance is to enlarge and to strengthen enterprises. Enterprises should become the main body of investment and benefit. Having the advantages in talents, resources and platform, the National High-Efficiency Low-Risk Pesticide Science and Technology Innovation Alliance should give full play to collaborative innovation and joint research to promote further the scientific and technical level in pesticide research so as to promote the zero growth in chemical fertilizer and pesticide uses and contribute positively to modern agricultural development in China, Mr. CHEN said.

ZHENG Yongquan showed that pesticide industry had been undergoing an extension from the phase of high-efficiency low-toxicity low-residue to the phase of high-efficiency low-toxicity low-risk. Pesticide active ingredients needed to be low risk to the targeted and non-targeted, and the design of formulations, application technology and administration policies should also be taken into consideration. Based on such idea, pesticide industry in China had started to adjust the way of thinking and positively update products, and pesticides with high efficiency and low risk had become the novel goal at the new phase, ZHENG said. He indicated that the establishment of the Alliance reflected the national demand in agriculture and the new trend in science and technology development. In his academic presentation High efficiency and low risk: Only way leading to pesticide development, ZHENG emphasized first the irreplaceable role of chemical pesticides in agricultural production. He then analyzed the risks in pesticide application and expounded systematically four steps to realize the innovation and exploitation of high efficiency low risk pesticides through scientific selection of pesticides, precise formulation and targeted pesticide application and risk management.

Vice President SONG Bao-an, the academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and the honorary president of National High-Efficiency Low-Risk Pesticide Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, pointed out that to solve the issues like deficient vigor in pesticide industry, unreasonable product structure, vicious competition of homogeneous low-end products and inadequate collaboration, etc., Ministry of Agriculture led to establish the Alliance. This was a probe to novel mechanism and system innovation, SONG said. He said that this could rely on market orientation, deploy high quality resources, integrate strength in pesticide industry and research institutions in China and form community of interests and fate. SONG put forward suggestions to the administration and development of the Alliance: Firstly, form features and advantages in the effective route and method for technical innovation among the Alliance members through joint efforts, and strengthen the roles of the diversified development and leading of innovation so as to achieve major breakthrough and innovation in key products for replacement and technology; Secondly, the members of the Alliance should view issues from the points of national food safety and development of pesticide industry, stick together to develop, and conduct substantial collaboration so as to make the Alliance the actual weather vane of innovation and development of pesticide in China; Thirdly, the innovation in distribution of revenue should be oriented by intellectual value so as to activate the enthusiasm of resource and innovation among the Alliance members. Such, the Alliance members could innovate and develop with dignity and responsibility.

It was learnt that National High-Efficiency Low-Risk Pesticide Science and Technology Innovation Alliance is headed by Guangxi Tianyuan Biochemicals, Co., Ltd. Nine research institutions and universities including IPP-CAAS, Guizhou University, East China University of Science and Technology, Nankai University, Shenyang Research Institute of Chemical Industry, China Agricultural University, and Nanjing Agricultural University and ten enterprises including Shenzhen Nuopuxin, Zhongbao Group Co., Ltd., Hebei Weiyuan, etc., are composed of the National High-Efficiency Low-Risk Pesticide Science and Technology Innovation Alliance. The establishment of the Alliance marked that the administration departments, research institutions, universities and enterprises, representating government, industry, education, research and application in high-efficiency low-risk pesticide in China will join hands in strength and work together to build the novel future for the country’s high-efficiency low-risk pesticide industry. Profs. YUANG Huizhu and CHEN Chang from IPP-CAAS attended this ceremony.