Cambodia links pesticide promotion and publicity with registration! Violations may affect new license approvals

Recently, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has intensified supervision over pesticide promotion permits. Enterprises without approved promotion licenses are prohibited from continuing promotional activities. Promotion applications are linked to pesticide registration management, and failure to apply for permits in accordance with regulations may affect new registration approvals.

According to the provisions of Chapter 5 of the Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Act, enterprises must obtain approval and permission from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries before engaging in the sales, promotion, and advertising of pesticide products. Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries released an interpretation document and issued advertising permits (as shown below). The main regulations and requirements are as follows:

1. Annual Application and Approval Mechanism

The pesticide promotion license operates under an annual approval system, with a validity period of one year. Enterprises must resubmit their promotion application 30 working days before the expiration of the approved period and may not continue promotional activities without obtaining new approval.

II. Strictly Limit the Promotion Content and Scope

(1) The promotion of products is limited to pesticides with approved technical parameters by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, and unauthorized products or newly added categories without approval must not be promoted beyond their approved scope;

(2) All promotional materials (including copywriting, videos, courseware, manuals, etc.), on-site explanations, and technical guidance must be strictly prepared based on the officially approved technical documents from the Agricultural Administration. The content must be accurate, data reliable, and expressions standardized. Unauthorized modification of core technical parameters such as dosage, applicable crops, and safety intervals is strictly prohibited. Exaggerated or misleading statements are also prohibited.

3. Clarify the Application Materials and Approval Requirements

(1) When applying for advertising approval, the following complete materials must be submitted:

1. Pesticide Registration Certificate;

2. Warehouse Storage Permit;

3. Import approval document;

4. Official product labeling;

5. Distribution License;

6. Product Technical Explanation Document (including ingredients, efficacy, usage instructions, safety precautions, etc., which must be consistent with the registration information).

(2) Application Fees: A fee of several hundred dollars is required for each application;

(3) Approval Time Limit: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries shall issue an approval decision within one month from the date of receiving complete application materials. If no response is provided within the deadline, progress can be inquired from the relevant functional departments.

4. Fully Implement Regulatory Collaboration Obligations

(1) When organizing offline activities such as on-site promotion and field training, it is mandatory to sign a collaboration agreement in advance with the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and the Plant Health Bureau, clarifying the division of responsibilities between both parties, and accepting professional guidance and supervision;

(2) Prior to conducting offline activities, written submission materials must be submitted to the provincial/municipal agricultural bureau of the activity location, including the activity plan, time and venue, instructor qualifications, estimated participant list, and safety emergency response plan;

(3) After the event, a formal summary report must be submitted to the relevant provincial/municipal agricultural bureau, accompanied by supporting documents such as on-site activity footage, public feedback records, and technical consultation logs for record-keeping and verification purposes.

5、 Strictly adhere to compliance registration requirements （1） The promoted pesticide products must be qualified products that have completed formal registration and obtained registration certificates with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The registration information, warehouse storage, distribution qualifications, etc. must be consistent with the promotion content, and all relevant documents must be valid; （2） The entire promotion process must strictly comply with current laws, regulations, and industry standards such as the Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Law, fully fulfill product quality commitments and safety disclosure obligations, and ensure compliance throughout the entire chain of promotion behavior, technical guidance, and after-sales service. 6、 Clarify the principles for handling violations Enterprises that fail to apply for licenses in accordance with regulations shall be subject to measures such as revoking promotion approvals, issuing criticism notices, being included in the industry's dishonesty list, and recovering approval fees in accordance with the law. Those with serious circumstances shall be held legally responsible. This regulation combines Cambodia's agricultural situation, regulatory system and international integration needs. The introduction of the pesticide publicity and approval policy has multiple core meanings, including regulating the market, empowering production, strengthening supervision, ensuring drug safety, and connecting with the international community. It reflects the government's determination to administer according to law and strictly enforce the law, and enhances the authority and credibility of pesticide supervision. For applicants, it is necessary to regulate corporate behavior and improve the application process for relevant licenses in accordance with MAFF requirements