Pesticide and fertilizer contamination of drinking water from agricultural runoff is now a worldwide concern. This is
especially true in Southeast Asian countries. Thailand imports the most pesticides in the region and over the past three decades has exhibited an annual growth rate in the agrichemical market reaching as high as 8.8 percent.v The
liberal pesticide market in Thailand has resulted in the widespread availability and use of imported chemicals.
Seventy-three percent of the agrichemical imports into Thailand are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as category Ia (extremely hazardous), or Ib (highly hazardous).vi These substances proliferate under a wide
variety of trade names and thus are difficult to track or regulate. For example, a 1990 study reported that
monocrotophos was being sold under 274 different trade names, methyl parathion under 296 names, and paraquat under 55 names.vii
Quantity of Pesticide Imports to Thailand 1976-1995xi
The tax policies of the Thai government have generally been favorable to the growing market of agrichemical
imports. A 1997 report indicated that since 1991, pesticides have been exempted totally from import duty and
business and municipal taxes. This tax exemption can be interpreted as an indirect subsidy for pesticide imports and contributes to low pesticide prices.v Additionally, the Thai government maintains a fund for pest outbreaks wherein
pesticides are given to farmers for free. Researchers identified this fund as a major pesticide subsidy and indicative of the Thai government and agricultural extension service’s support for agrichemical use.v Furthermore, the Bank of
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) – the major Thai institute for the implementation of agricultural credit policy – has issued short-term credits for agricultural inputs including pesticides