“…the evaluation takes from 1 to 1.5 years for chemical pesticides and approximately 1 year for other types…”
Vanessa Del Pilar Mendoza Soto is the general manager at Agro Advice Perú SAC, an agronomist from the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, M.Sc. student at PUC Peru.
Vanessa Mendoza, general manager at Agro Advice Perú
AgriBrasilis – How long does it take to register pesticides in Peru?
Vanessa Mendoza – After submitting a process to the authorities, the evaluation takes from 1 to 1.5 years for chemical pesticides and approximately 1 year for other types of pesticides.
AgriBrasilis – What are the types of registrations and what are the costs involved?
Vanessa Mendoza – There are registrations of Chemical, Biological Pesticides, Plant Growth Regulators (RCP) and Atypical products.
For chemical pesticides, evaluation by three authorities/agencies is mandatory: Senasa (National Agricultural Health Service), Digesa (General Directorate of Health and Food Safety) and DGAAA (General Directorate of Environmental Agrarian Affairs). In the case of other types of pesticides, Senasa determines which products require evaluation by other authorities.
Regarding costs, there are fees that must be paid to the regulatory agencies. Fees add up to around 8,000 soles (US$ 2136) for chemical pesticides, while registering a biological pesticide costs approximately 2,200 soles (US$ 588). CPR and Atypical products cost around 2,600 soles (US$ 695). There are also other costs, involving field trials, laboratory studies, etc.
AgriBrasilis – What are the steps to register pesticides?
Vanessa Mendoza – The first step is the approval of the field trial protocol, the second is the experimental authorization for products whose molecules have not been previously registered in the country. The third step involves processing the sample import authorization. The next step involves importing the sample with which the field test will be carried out. At the same time, the registration form is drawn up and the necessary information is requested from the supplier.
Once field test reports are available, the document will be completed. This document is sent to Senasa. In the case of chemical pesticides, three copies are submitted.
During the assessment, pending issues must be resolved within the deadlines stipulated by the authorities or regulatory agencies. Afterwards, each authority issues an opinion. Three favorable opinions are required to obtain the registration of a pesticide.
After obtaining the opinions, Senasa carries out a risk-benefit assessment/evaluation, in which the agency evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of the registration. Finally, after approval of the label, the registration of the pesticide is granted. As for other types of pesticides, they are generally only evaluated by Senasa.
AgriBrasilis – Which government agencies are involved in the registration process and what are the relevant laws?
Vanessa Mendoza – Three authorities participate: Senasa, DGAAA and Digesa. Pesticides are regulated in accordance with resolution No. 2075, which includes the Andean Technical Manual for the Registration and Control of Pesticides for Agricultural Use and Decree 001-2015, which approves the Regulation of the National Agricultural Pesticides System and which categorizes the types of registrations of pesticides.
AgriBrasilis – How many products are registered per year in the country?
Vanessa Mendoza – The approximate number of registrations until 2023 was 3514 chemical pesticides and 547 biological pesticides.
AgriBrasilis – What are the critical points in the registration process?
Vanessa Mendoza – I consider that the critical points are the following: the field trial, which must demonstrate the efficiency of the product in controlling the phytosanitary problem that you want to manage. The crop, pest, phenological stage of the plant, test site and dose must be carefully determined. This constitutes the usage registered on the label, the purpose for which the product will be sold.
Finally, another important point is responding to pending issues from the authorities. This must be carried out with precision and care. If the regulatory agency’s requests are not met, product registration will not be obtained.