China environmental inspection promotes healthy development of glyphosate

Date:03-07-2013

Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection and pesticide administrations jointly held a meeting recently, which made a decision to carry out a comprehensive environmental inspection as soon as possible to the whole glyphosate enterprises.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection already implemented an inspection to some large enterprises according to the “Organophosphorus Pesticide Liquid Pollutant Effluent Discharge Standard” raised by industry organizations in the 1st half of 2012.The saying about a comprehensive environmental inspection was spreading across the whole pesticides industry which includes glyphosate in August 2012.

The comprehensive environmental inspection to glyphosate will include inspection of treatment to the waste water, waste gas and waste solid while focusing on treatment of waste water discharge, which means to inspect whether the waste mother liquid from the glycine based glyphosate is treated up standard or not.

Fu Ying, the vice secretary-general at the 1st Session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC), said on a recent press conference that the new NPC will further strengthen the environmental legislation including making amendment to the “Law of Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution” and the “Environmental Protection Law”, which reflects the country’s determination toward environmental legislation; in the meantime environmental inspection has become an effective means to maintain a healthy industry development on a sustainable basis.

In 2012, glyphosate supply and demand situation started to resume its prosperity after intensified adjustments over the last 3 years. Glyphosate price has risen up to Yuan 34,000 – 36,000/ton from the Yuan 24,850/ton at the year beginning. At present there are 25 operational glyphosate factories, most of which are running stably. In early March, the glycine method produced glyphosate 95% technical quotes at Yuan 33,500 – 34,000/ton.