The Pesticides Control Board (PCB) has launched a review of licences for the importation and distribution of Aluminium Phosphide after evidence emerged that the highly hazardous pesticide is being sold to unauthorised users and, in some cases, broken down and sold as individual tablets
PCB registrar James Kaphale said on Friday the regulator could no longer allow weaknesses in the licensing and distribution system to persist.’
“We cannot just let things slide. We are reviewing the licences and the whole distribution arrangement to establish where the gaps are and how Aluminium Phosphide is getting into the hands of unauthorised people,” he said.
He stressed that the matter was being treated with urgency and that new measures would be announced shortly.
The review follows two critical meetings between the PCB and key players in the Aluminium Phosphide supply chain, CropLife Malawi, representing importers, and the Agro‑Dealers Association, representing distributors and retailers.
Minutes of the September 3 meeting with CropLife Malawi show the regulator raised alarm over “improper sale and misuse” of Aluminium Phosphide, noting with “grave concern” that some agro‑dealers were selling the pesticide to unauthorised users, leading to disturbing consequences including suicide.
The PCB also revealed that some dealers were “decanting the product and selling it in single tablets,” a practice that violates regulatory requirements and increases the risk of misuse and accidental poisoning.
CropLife Malawi acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and proposed tighter licensing, stronger inspections, improved training and certification of fumigators and agro‑dealers, and publication of a list of licensed operators.
Similar concerns were raised during a September 10 meeting with the Agro‑Dealers Association, which admitted that Aluminium Phosphide was reaching people without authorisation or training.
The association called for stronger licensing, tighter monitoring, and more rigorous inspections, while also noting that scarcity of liquid Actellic had pushed some farmers towards tablet‑based products.
The PCB Board formally resolved at its September 17 meeting to review all licences for Highly Hazardous Pesticides, including Aluminium Phosphide, giving regulatory backing to the consultations.
Aluminium Phosphide releases phosphine gas, which is an extremely poisonous substance, when it comes into contact with moisture.
Exposure can cause severe poisoning, breathing difficulties, dangerously low blood pressure, heart problems, shock, organ damage, and death. Breaking the pesticide into individual tablets and selling them to untrained users creates an especially dangerous pathway for misuse.
Kaphale said the review would establish whether current licensing arrangements provide adequate control.
“We have to know exactly who is importing, who is distributing, who is selling and who is using these products. The control of highly hazardous pesticides cannot be taken lightly. We have to close the gaps,” he said.
