Recently, the Global Mancozeb Summit, led by the Global Crop Protection Science Alliance (CERSA) and co-hosted by multiple leading agricultural technology enterprises and research institutions, was successfully convened. The conference brought together plant pathologists, regulatory experts, and industry leaders from around the world to conduct an in-depth analysis of the irreplaceability of mancozeb in modern agricultural integrated management systems and the regulatory challenges it faces. Participants reached a broad consensus that in the process of ensuring global food security and promoting sustainable agricultural development, it is necessary to maintain the rational application of key multi-site protectants such as mancozeb based on rigorous scientific evidence.

Industry Consensus:  Safeguarding the Core Protective Status

   At the summit opening ceremony, CERSA President Jean-Paul Dubois clearly stated: "Mancozeb is not a simple option, but a fundamental solution verified through decades of field trials, safeguarding the health of hundreds of millions of hectares of crops worldwide. Any hasty restrictions on its availability will directly and severely impact global growers, especially smallholder farmers in developing countries."  

     He emphasized that this mature protectant is an indispensable component of integrated disease control programs for potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, and various cash crops. Its stability and broad-spectrum efficacy form the cornerstone of many modern agricultural production systems.

Scientific Cornerstone:A Critical Line  of Defense against Resistance Development

Resistance management was the core topic of discussion at the summit. Experts attending the conference unanimously agreed that mancozeb's unique multi-site action mechanism enables it to play an irreplaceable "cornerstone role" in delaying and overcoming pathogen resistance to single-site fungicides.

Dr. Katarina Schmidt, a renowned plant pathologist from the Technical University of Munich, stated in her report: "In rotation and tank-mix strategies, mancozeb is the ideal partner for preserving the efficacy of new, high-risk fungicides. Without it, we would accelerate the depletion of existing and future innovative chemical tools, plunging resistance management into unprecedented challenges. This is a simple scientific fact."

Strategic Pivot: Safeguarding Global Food Security

     The summit further explored the strategic significance of mancozeb for the global food supply chain from a macro perspective. Against the backdrop of intensified climate change and frequent extreme weather, ensuring stable grain production and quality has become particularly critical. By effectively controlling devastating diseases such as potato late blight, mancozeb directly safeguards the yield security of staple food crops, playing an important role in stabilizing global food prices and maintaining social stability. 

        Marco Ricci, Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at UPL, commented: "Regulatory formulation must balance advantages and disadvantages. Any decision should comprehensively compare potential, theoretical risks with the undeniable negative impacts on food production, farmers' livelihoods, and food accessibility in reality. We firmly believe that scientific, transparent, and data-based assessment is the only correct path."

Future Path: Calling for Science-Based Regulation

     Looking to the future, the summit has sent a clear signal to strengthen collaboration. All parties attending the conference unanimously called for the establishment of closer communication and cooperation mechanisms among regulatory authorities, scientific research institutions, manufacturers, and agricultural practitioners, so as to jointly promote the implementation of Good Agricultural Practices and the fulfillment of product management responsibilities. 

    The conference summary stressed that the industry will continue to increase resource investment, carry out in-depth scientific research on the environmental behavior and safety of mancozeb, and take the initiative to convey information based on factual evidence to the public and policymakers. Defending the scientific status of mancozeb is significant not only for safeguarding a product, but also for consolidating the foundation of a sustainable, high-yielding and resilient global agricultural future.