Establishing new rules for agrochemicals’ registration had to be controversial in the country with the highest use of fertilizers in the region.
Some of the agricultural subsectors want new internationally approved molecules to be allowed in Costa Rica, while others prefer traditional pesticides.
There are also small farms and environmentalist groups who are concerned for the high level of consumption of these products on fodder, industrial crops, fresh fruits, grains, tropical roots, vegetables and ornamental plants.
According to Victor Umaña, director of CLACDS from INCAE, that there are too many ministries involved and in the end, none of them makes a decision, although the Ministry of Agriculture has trained staff to do so.
On the other hand, the National Union of Costa Rican Producers (UNAG) which brings together 60 agricultural associations and the Chamber for the Promotion of Beekeeping, says the new regulation is a “blank check” that could hurt the country because it allows to introduce new products without registration and without checking their potential impacts on health and the environment.