NAFSA holds introductory session

ISLAMABAD: Recently, the National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority (NAFSA) convened with stakeholders from Pakistan's pesticides and agrochemicals industry. This meeting involved representatives from the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, NAFSA's Board of Governors, the Pakistan Crop Protection Association (PCPA), CropLife, pesticide makers and importers, labs, academics, and development partners.

The NAFSA Act 2026 promises to replace the old Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance 1971 and its 1973 Rules with a modern, transparent, and digitally advanced system for pesticides' registration, import/export, manufacturing, dealer licensing, packing and labeling, storage, safety, testing, inspections, and complaint resolution. During the session, important aspects included NAFSA's governance, science-based risk assessment, modernization aligned with global standards, technological integration for improved compliance, trade facilitation, and traceability, market access for Pakistani exports, defined service timelines, a structured complaint resolution and appeals system, and a transition plan to displace the Department of Plant Protection by October 31st, 2026.

NAFSA's Chairman, Ahmed Umair, emphasized the shift from being a gatekeeper to an enabler, offering predictable, time-bound, and fully digital registration. The new framework aims to protect farmers and consumers, meet international standards, boost market access, and expand agricultural exports. NAFSA's Director General, Muhammad Imran Khan Mohmand, expressed the body's commitment to a transparent, predictable, and responsive regulatory system that simplifies processes through digitalization, establishes clear timelines, strengthens risk-based regulation, and ensures supply chain traceability.