Developing countries face many market access challenges, amongst them the destination country’s maximum residue level (MRL) requirements for pesticide tolerance. As pesticide residues raise food safety concerns for public health and pose trade burdens for agri-food exports, the use of biopesticides is becoming more common worldwide, offering an alternative to mitigate conventional pesticide residues.

The purpose of this PPG is to develop a regional project that will carry out coordinated studies in Asia to help mitigate conventional pesticide residues through the incorporation of biopesticides into national Integrated Pest Management Programs (IPM) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for specific crops. The project will promote the use of biopesticides by reducing residues of synthetic pesticides, which in turn will improve the market access of Asian specialty crops.