January 29, 2026 | Hanoi, Viet Nam — The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) has joined fellow regulators, research institutions, experts, and technical partners from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the ASEAN Biopesticides Regulatory Project Kick-Off Meeting held in Hanoi, Viet Nam on January 6–7, 2026.
The three-year project aims to establish a harmonized regulatory framework to govern the registration, evaluation, and use of biopesticides across ASEAN Member States, supporting safer, more effective, and sustainable pest management practices in the region. The first draft of the harmonized framework is targeted for completion by December 2026.
FPA Executive Director Glenn DC. Estrada and Pesticide Regulations Division (PRD) Chief Maribel M. Querijero, together with other Philippine delegates from both the public and private sectors, represented the Philippines and joined the project’s network of pesticide regulatory authorities, experts, and research institutions from ASEAN member countries.
The project is also supported by various international organizations and technical partners collaborating under the ASEAN framework.
There are three workstreams in the project for Biopesticide Regulations: WS # 1- Regulatory Framework Harmonization in ASEAN, Workstream # 2 – Technical Capacity Challenges and Needs, and Workstream # 3 – Biopesticide Incorporated Integrated Pest Management Options and Farmers Adoption of Biopesticides.
During the meeting, Ms. Querijero was officially assigned to lead the Workstream 1 on the development of the Regulatory Framework for Biopesticides among ASEAN Member States. Director Estrada delivered the keynote address which underscored the strategic importance of the initiative for food security, farmer welfare, and sustainable agriculture in a region where more than 600 million people rely on agriculture for their livelihood and food supply.
“This regulatory framework will increase the number of globally registered products that reach our farmers. It will give them more tools for integrated pest management. It will encourage competition, innovation, and lower costs. And most importantly, it will ensure public health, environmental safety, and efficacy are never compromised,” Estrada said.
He emphasized that regulatory harmonization is not merely an administrative exercise but a critical enabler of innovation and food security. By strengthening mutual recognition, scientific rigor, and trust among ASEAN regulators, the initiative seeks to accelerate farmer access to proven, safe, and effective biopesticide technologies without weakening regulatory standards.
“Through this project, we can show the world that harmonized regulation, scientific integrity, farmer empowerment, and environmental stewardship can move forward together. This is how we scale up. And this is how we scale deep. ASEAN does not merely follow global sustainability standards—ASEAN can also set them,” he added.
Beyond regulatory alignment, the ASEAN Biopesticides Regulatory Project will undertake technical and scientific needs assessments to identify capacity gaps among member states. These activities are expected to lead to targeted manpower development, the strengthening of
selected laboratories, enhanced communication strategies to promote farmer-level adoption of biopesticides, integrated pest management (IPM), and the establishment of workstreams to advance research on integrated pest management.
As the country’s regulatory authority for pesticides, the FPA reaffirmed its commitment to support the project’s initiatives and to contribute Philippine expertise and experience to the development of a robust, region-wide biopesticides regulatory framework that protects public health, safeguards the environment, and empowers ASEAN farmers through access to sustainable agricultural innovations.
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Writer: FPA Information Section
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Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) Online ISSN: 2815-1674
Published by the FPA Information and Communications Team
