The Bangladesh Agro-Chemical Manufacturers Association (BAMA) has welcomed the government's new policy easing the import of raw materials for manufacturing agricultural pesticides and removing the requirement to source such materials from specific countries or origins.

The association described the move as timely and farmer-friendly, noting it would help strengthen domestic agrochemical manufacturing, ensure uninterrupted supplies and potentially reduce production costs for farmers.

KSM Mostafizur Rahman, president of BAMA, according to a BAMA release, termed the government's decision highly positive for both the agriculture sector and farmers.

He said that while facilities had long been ensured for importers of finished agricultural pesticides, domestic manufacturers had faced various regulatory hurdles in importing raw materials.

The BAMA president added that complicated rules and mandatory requirements to import from designated countries had forced local manufacturers to bear additional costs.

"The new policy will make it easier for manufacturers to source quality agricultural chemicals and raw materials from the international market at competitive prices," Mr. Mostafizur said.

He added that lifting the mandatory requirement to source from certain countries would allow importers to procure raw materials from any suitable country while maintaining required quality standards. "This will directly benefit farmers by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of crop-protection chemicals in the domestic market and keeping production costs under control."

Previously, dependence on specific source countries meant that disruptions in the international supply chain could create shortages of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals in the domestic market, sometimes pushing up prices abnormally, BAMA said in its release.

The removal of the country-of-origin restrictions will also create greater scope for market competition, according to the association.

Because importers can now source raw materials at more competitive prices, manufacturers will be able to reduce input costs, which will ultimately help lower farmers' production expenses, it said.

BAMA noted that it expects the new policy to create a more competitive environment in the agrochemical industry while supporting farmers by improving the availability and affordability of essential crop-protection products.