KYIV. June 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The adoption of bill No. 2289, which allows the import of samples of innovative plant protection products (PPP) for scientific research and state testing, will not turn Ukraine into a testing ground, since the matter concerns the supply of innovative PPP in small volumes for study and possible subsequent certification, MP Mykola Kucher (the Dovira parliamentary group) believes.

"We are talking [adopting the bill] only about the import of such products for research. We are not talking about thousands of tonnes - we are just talking about the import of plant protection products for research, which is regulated by a large number of bylaws, Cabinet resolutions, regulations, etc.," he noted at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

According to the MP, the amendment made in December 2015 to Article 4 of the law on pesticides and agrochemicals prohibiting testing of imported pesticides in Ukraine without their preliminary registration in the country of origin is due to the struggle for the PPP market, the annual capacity of which is estimated at $ 1 billion per year. Kucher clarified that the market for this product in Ukraine consists of 2/3 of original products and 1/3 of generics.

"The point is to increase the number of generics, while everyone understands that the original product will always be better than the generic one. That is why this quiet incomprehensible war has been going on for so long … Some 5.5 years have passed, and the original products have not entered Ukraine," Kucher said.

He clarified that he is observing the necessary number of votes in the Verkhovna Rada in support of this bill, and expressed hope that it will be adopted at second reading before the parliamentary holidays, which will allow government agencies to start researching foreign plant protection products this year.

During the press conference, the adoption of this bill was also supported by Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky.

"The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine undoubtedly supports the adoption of bill No. 2289 as soon as possible, moreover, I can confirm that it will also be supported by the Ministry of Ecology, that is, this is a joint government position," he said.

According to the coordinator of the agrochemical committee of the European Business Association, Viktor Pohorily, the document makes changes only to the regulatory part of the law on pesticides and agrochemicals, while not changing the regulations for research of plant protection products.

He specified that the existing system of handling unregistered samples of plant protection products is quite strict. So, from research institutes working with them, appropriate accreditation, the authority of the Ministry of Ecology to conduct such research, the implementation of special regulations for the acceptance and handling of prototypes is required.