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The EAC framework is intended to make national systems more compatible, rather than replace the responsibilities of individual regulators
Cotonou, Benin | AGENCIES | Eight East African countries have adopted a common regulatory framework for biopesticides, in a move that could reduce approval delays, widen farmers’ access to biological crop-protection products and help agricultural technology companies expand across the region.
The framework establishes shared requirements for testing, data submission and product registration in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Somalia.
Dr. Daniel Willy Kyalo, AATF’s senior manager for resource mobilisation and sustainability, said the framework had been developed with the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and member states to address regulatory barriers that have slowed the adoption of biological alternatives to conventional pesticides.
He was speaking at the BIO-PACT Regional Workshop in Cotonou, Benin, on October 19, organised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
“Regulation is where good science meets the farmer,” said Dr.Kyalo. “If the rules do not recognise a product, it will never reach the field, no matter how effective it is.”
The framework comes as governments and agricultural businesses seek ways to improve crop productivity while reducing the risks associated with conventional chemical inputs. But biological products have often faced regulatory systems designed primarily for synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.
Other obstacles include overlapping responsibilities among regulatory agencies, shortages of laboratories and trained personnel, and data requirements that do not adequately reflect how biological products work.
The new framework covers three categories of pest-control products: those based on living organisms, those derived from plant extracts and those that use chemical signals to influence pest behaviour. It sets out common testing methods and application requirements, allowing evidence submitted in one country to support registration in others.
The arrangements also provide for the protection of confidential commercial data, regional standards for approved testing facilities and faster authorisation procedures during emergencies, including outbreaks of Fall Armyworm.
For manufacturers, common requirements could reduce the cost and administrative burden of entering multiple national markets. For farmers, they could broaden the range of approved products available to protect crops and limit losses.
Regulation as a route to market
The experience of Aflasafe, a biological product used to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize and groundnuts, illustrates the potential economic benefits of effective regulation.
The product can reduce aflatoxin levels by 80-90%, according to the information presented at the workshop. Aflatoxin is a toxic contaminant that poses significant risks to human health and can restrict access to markets with strict food-safety requirements.
Aflasafe has been registered in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso. In 2019, Kenya allocated KSh400 million to purchase the product, an amount equivalent to about a fifth of its fertiliser subsidy, according to the account presented at the meeting.
The case demonstrates how regulatory approval can create a route from agricultural research to commercial use, including through government procurement.
“Farmers gain more tested and legally approved ways to protect crops and reduce losses,” Dr. Kyalo said.
Companies and researchers, he added, benefit from clearer market-entry procedures, less duplication of paperwork and greater confidence that their data will remain protected.
However, adopting a regional framework is only the first step. Each country must incorporate the rules into its national legal system and provide the funding, laboratory capacity and specialist staff needed to implement them.
“Guidelines on paper are not enough,” Dr. Kyalo said, stressing the importance of practical testing procedures to help regulators apply the rules consistently.
The distinction matters because regional harmonisation will deliver limited benefits if companies still face lengthy or inconsistent approval processes in individual countries.
From regional rules to national implementation
AATF’s work on agricultural inputs extends beyond East Africa. Through the COMPRO II commercial products project, funded by the Gates Foundation and managed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the organisation has supported efforts to strengthen regulations for biopesticides and biofertilisers in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
The experience points to four priorities for countries seeking to expand the use of biological agricultural inputs: establish distinct legal categories for these products, build on existing regional regulatory frameworks, invest in testing facilities and technical skills, and connect product registration with procurement and agricultural advisory services.
The EAC framework is intended to make national systems more compatible, rather than replace the responsibilities of individual regulators. Its success will depend on whether governments translate common standards into enforceable national rules and give regulators the resources to apply them.
For agricultural technology companies, a more predictable regional market could make it easier to justify investment in product development and distribution. For farmers, the potential benefit is access to a wider range of tested crop-protection options.
The immediate test, however, will be implementation: whether eight countries can turn a shared set of rules into a functioning market for biological crop-protection products.
