Pesticide Import and Registration in Pakistan: Forms 1, 16, and 17 Under the 1971 Ordinance
Quick Answer
No pesticide can be imported into Pakistan without registration with the Department of Plant Protection under the Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance 1971. Three schemes apply: Form 1 for local trade names, Form 16 for generics (Rs 60,000 fee for subsequent cases), and Form 17 for products registered abroad. Registration runs 3 years.
| Governing law | Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance 1971 and Agricultural Pesticides Rules 1973 |
|---|---|
| Registration schemes | Form 1 (local trade names), Form 16 (generics), Form 17 (products registered in country of manufacture) |
| Form 16 fee | Rs 60,000 registration fee challan for subsequent cases, payable to National Bank or State Bank of Pakistan |
| Validity | Certificate of registration granted for 3 years (or shorter); renewable for further 3-year periods |
| Form 1 trials | Efficacy trials over two crop seasons by at least two federal or provincial research institutes |
Pakistan does not allow any pesticide to be imported, manufactured, formulated, or sold without registration. The Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance 1971 and the Agricultural Pesticides Rules 1973 give the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) control of the whole chain: registration, standardization, import, formulation, and repacking. For an importer, that means two separate hurdles before a consignment clears Karachi: the brand must hold a live DPP registration under Form 1, 16, or 17, and the shipment itself needs a valid import permit. Here is how both work.
What law controls pesticide imports in Pakistan?
The Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance, 1971 (Ordinance II of 1971) was enacted to regulate the import, manufacture, formulation, sale, distribution and use of pesticides. Its core prohibition is blunt: no person shall import, manufacture, formulate, or sell a pesticide that is not registered. The Ordinance also created the Agricultural Pesticides Technical Advisory Committee (APTAC), which advises government on technical matters and approves registrations.
Enforcement has teeth. Offences under the Ordinance carry penalties that, for unlawfully altering pesticide composition, run to imprisonment of two to three years and fines extending to one million rupees, with lesser offences drawing up to six months and fines up to one hundred thousand rupees. The Agricultural Pesticides Rules 1973 supply the operating detail: forms, fees, and procedures.
What are the Form 1, Form 16, and Form 17 registration schemes?
DPP operates three registration schemes, and which one applies determines cost, data requirements, and time to market:
| Scheme | Covers | Key requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Form 1 | Registration under a local trade name | Application, fee, and samples; FPTRL lab analysis; provincial field trials over two crop seasons at two or more institutes; APTAC approval |
| Form 16 | Generic pesticides | Completed Form 16 application plus fee challan; Rs 60,000 for subsequent cases |
| Form 17 | Pesticides registered in the country of manufacture | Documentary proof of registration in country of manufacture; proof of use in OECD member countries, China or India; evidence of extensive use on relevant crops |
Form 17 is the fast lane for multinationals bringing in products with an established foreign registration record. Form 1 is the long road: per DPP's published procedure, the sample goes to the Federal Pesticides Testing and Reference Laboratory (FPTRL), a satisfactory report goes to the provinces for field trials, efficacy is tested over two crop seasons by at least two federal or provincial research institutes, and the file then passes the Provincial Standardization Committee and the APTAC Sub Committee before APTAC grants a certificate of registration for 3 years or shorter.
What does registration cost and how long does it last?
Fees are deposited by bank challan. For Form 16 subsequent cases, DPP's checklist requires a paid challan of Rs 60,000 as the registration fee, payable to the National Bank or State Bank of Pakistan, together with the completed application. Each scheme has its own prescribed fee, so confirm the current challan amount with DPP before filing.
On validity, the Ordinance provides that the federal government may, on application, renew the registration of a brand for a further period of three years, provided no change has taken place in the guarantee or ingredients since the date of registration. Importers buying distribution rights to an existing brand should verify the registration's expiry date before contracting: a lapsed registration stops the next shipment at the port.
How does the import permit side work?
Registration alone does not move cargo. Pakistan's WTO import licensing notifications confirm that pesticide imports are governed by the Import Policy Order issued by the Ministry of Commerce, with DPP regulating registration, and that all pesticides must be registered by application to the Department.
The permit workflow, per the Trade Information Portal of Pakistan:
- Apply to DPP on the prescribed proforma.
- Attach the applicant's national identity card, and an authority letter from the proprietor if an agent files.
- Deposit the fee on the prescribed challan.
- Receive the import permit; no import may proceed without a valid permit, and permits are commodity- and country-specific.
Permit processing has moved online: DPP import permit applications, document calls, inspection calls, and approvals now run through the Pakistan Single Window, so importers no longer file at the DPP office manually. If your PSW profile is not yet set up, start with our PSW and WeBOC registration guide.
What trips up pesticide consignments at clearance?
Three failure modes account for most stuck shipments. First, product-registration mismatches: the consignment's label, guarantee, or formulation does not match what DPP registered, which invites enforcement under the Ordinance. Second, permit gaps: the import permit is commodity- and country-specific, so sourcing the same product from a different origin than the permit names is a refusal risk. Third, timing: permits and registrations both expire, and a vessel that arrives after expiry meets the same wall as an unregistered product, with demurrage running at the terminal while the paperwork is fixed.
Pesticides also sit inside a wider agri-inputs compliance family. The same DPP that registers pesticides issues import permits for seeds (Form 1 seed permits are a different Form 1), and application equipment like boom sprayers and drones has its own import rules. Plan the registration calendar the way you plan the kharif and rabi import calendar: backwards from the season.
Olympic Agencies has cleared agricultural cargo, seeds, fertilizer, and agricultural machinery at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982. We coordinate DPP permits, PSW filings, and port clearance for agri-input consignments under our customs clearing service. Send us your product's registration details and shipment plan on WhatsApp and we will confirm the clearance pathway before loading.
Importing pesticides? Confirm the brand's DPP registration status before the shipment loads, unregistered product does not clear.
WhatsApp us your shipment details →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import a pesticide into Pakistan without registration?+
No. The Agricultural Pesticides Ordinance 1971 prohibits importing, manufacturing, formulating, or selling any pesticide without registration. Registration sits with the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) under the Ordinance and the Agricultural Pesticides Rules 1973, and imports also require a valid DPP permit.
What is the difference between Form 1, Form 16, and Form 17 registration?+
Form 1 registers a pesticide under a local trade name and requires FPTRL lab analysis plus two crop seasons of field trials. Form 16 covers generic pesticides. Form 17 covers products already registered in the country of manufacture, supported by proof of registration there and of use in OECD countries, China, or India.
What does pesticide registration cost in Pakistan?+
Fees are paid by bank challan to the National Bank or State Bank of Pakistan. For Form 16 subsequent cases, DPP requires a paid challan of Rs 60,000 as the registration fee, alongside the completed application form. Other schemes carry their own prescribed fees.
How long is a pesticide registration valid?+
A certificate of registration is granted for 3 years or shorter. Under the Ordinance, the federal government can renew a registered brand for a further 3 years on application, provided no change has taken place in the guarantee or ingredients since registration.
Olympic Agencies
Clearing agricultural cargo - seeds, fertilizers, and machinery - at Karachi Port and Port Qasim since 1982. Members of PIFFA and the Chamber of Commerce.
More on agro-inputs & commodities
- Importing Palm Oil into Pakistan: From Malaysia and Indonesia to Port Qasim
- Importing Spices into Pakistan: Turmeric, Cumin, Red Chilli, and the Regulatory Maze
- Importing Tea into Pakistan: How the World's Largest Tea Importer Sources and Clears Its Supply
- Why Pakistan's Oilseed Crushers Depend on Imported Canola
- Importing Pulses into Pakistan: What Fumigation Does Customs Require?
- Our service: Agro-Inputs & Commodities clearance →