From March 18th to March 22nd, the Training Workshop on Management and Application of Biopesticides, hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Asia-Pacific Plant Protection Commission (FAO-APPPC) was successfully held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop was hosted by FAO-APPPC and jointly organized by the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Center (PQPMC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal (MOALD), the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (ICAMA), and the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPPCAAS).

Representatives including the Executive Secretary of FAO-APPPC, FAO Representative to Nepal, Minister and Secretary General of MOALD, representatives from the Department of Agrochemical Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China (MARA), ICAMA, and IPPCAAS participated in the training workshop and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Representatives from pesticide management departments of 12 countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, 14 experts from China, as well as experts and participants in plant protection, pesticide research and development, management, and application from Nepal, totaling more than 70 people, attended the training.

The training workshop mainly consisted of expert technical reports, field trial observation, and exchange of national reports. Seventeen technical experts from China, Nepal, and the FAO-APPPC Secretariat, as well as representatives from biopesticide manufacturing companies, were responsible for introducing the research and development, mechanism of action, pest control, registration management, technical regulations, promotion and application of biopesticides in the Asia-Pacific region. They conducted field visits to biopesticide technology promotion agencies in the Kavre region of Nepal, observed the application of Trichoderma for controlling late blight of potatoes and neem extract for controlling potato beetle, and representatives of 12 member countries of APPPC shared their country's biopesticide registration management, import and export, challenges faced in biopesticide application and development. The lectures were comprehensive and in-depth, with advanced management concepts, clear explanations of the mechanisms of action of biological pesticides such as plant sources, microorganisms, and biochemistry, rich experience in pest control, practical, replicable, and widely applicable case analyses, which were highly recognized by the participants. Representatives of each member country had intensive exchanges with experts on product registration, mechanism of action, technical standards, import and export management, and joint pest control. It was unanimously agreed to accelerate the research and development of biopesticides in the Asia-Pacific region, increase the promotion of biopesticides, strengthen the construction of the plant protection system in the Asia-Pacific region, establish an efficient plant protection management system, and promote information sharing among member countries.

This training workshop marked the first time that China organized its technical experts to undertake capability building tasks for FAO-APPPC abroad, showcasing the latest achievements in the research and development of new biopesticides in China, and demonstrating China's well-regulated, good-quality biopesticides, as well as its effective efforts to promote Chinese biopesticides globally, so as to coordinate the registration and management of biopesticides and promote the high-quality development of biopesticides in the Asia-Pacific region. This workshop also vigorously promoted the construction of the Belt and Road Plant Protection Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, better benefiting farmers and promoting high-quality agricultural development in all member countries of APPPC.