SERDANG: Illegal and unregistered pesticides are being rampantly used in the country, especially because they are easily available on online platforms.
Over the past five years, more than RM3.2mil worth of such pesticides have been seized, while the ministry is also working with platforms such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop to remove advertisements and shut down accounts selling illegal pesticides.
These unregistered pesticides can harm users, crops and the environment, the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry said.
Agriculture Department deputy director-general (management and regulatory) Mat Iesak Ngathinee said the department was tracking over 100 online pesticide advertisements each month, many of which reappear even after being removed.
“Over the past two years, we have noticed a rise in online pesticide sales, especially among padi farmers who are attracted by cheaper prices. However, many of these products are unregistered and unsafe,” he said.
“The issue keeps recurring despite takedown actions, which is why amendments to the Act are necessary to enhance our enforcement powers in the digital space,” Mat Iesak added at the Sustainable Pesticide Management Seminar 2025, themed “Pesticide Risk Awareness: The Foundation of Sustainable Agriculture”, yesterday.
The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Isham Ishak said that since 2020, over 4,300 inspections and raids have been carried out nationwide under the Pesticides Act. The raids involved collaboration between the Agriculture Department and several enforcement agencies.
“The ministry remains firm in enforcing the law to combat the misuse and distribution of illegal pesticides. The public, particularly farmers, are urged not to buy pesticides from unauthorised sources or e-commerce platforms.
“The purchase of unregistered products is not only illegal but also endangers health and crop safety,” he said in his speech read out by deputy secretary-general (policy) Datuk Seri Norazman Ayob.
At the regional level, Malaysia and other Asean member states have agreed to progressively phase out Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in line with commitments made under the 45th Asean Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Meeting.
Between 2025 and 2030, Malaysia will ban nine HHP active ingredients – trichlorfon, dicofol, pentachlorophenol, monocrotophos, chlorpyrifos, methamidophos, dichlorvos, zinc phosphide and cadusafos.
“These bans are implemented based on scientific evidence after assessing their impacts on public health, food safety, trade and environmental sustainability,” Isham said.
“The policy shift also encourages industry players to innovate and develop safer, environmentally friendly alternatives such as biopesticides, biological control agents and integrated pest management practices,” said Isham.
He called on industry players to play a more active role in the transition to safer and more sustainable agricultural inputs, including investing in research and development, sharing green technology, and improving the supply chain.
