The Plant Production Service is calling for a reduction in pesticide packaging, but farmers do not see this as a problem

The State Plant Service (VAT) has recently called on manufacturers of plant protection products to offer more smaller-sized packs on the market. According to the Service, this would help farmers avoid having to store unused product residues, which must be kept in accordance with strict requirements. However, representatives of farmers’ organisations themselves take a rather cautious view of this issue, whilst manufacturers insist that they already offer packaging in various sizes and are prepared to respond to demand.

The issue is not relevant to everyone

Gedas Špakauskas, chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union (LŪS), says that a choice of smaller packaging would be beneficial in some cases, but he does not overestimate the scale of the problem.

According to him, some products, such as glyphosate, are in fact often supplied in larger packs, so an additional choice would not be detrimental to farmers. However, fungicides and insecticides, which are more expensive and used in smaller quantities, are already mostly sold in relatively small packages.

“If there were a choice of smaller packs, it wouldn’t do any harm. But there’s certainly no need to go to great lengths over it,” said G. Špakauskas.

According to him, LŪS members have not actively raised this issue, and the problem is perhaps more relevant to smaller farms.

When asked about the control of pesticide residues, G. Špakauskas stated that the system is not complicated – it is important to store the products properly and keep proper records.

Grain farmers: in some cases, the problem is actually the opposite

Audrius Vanagas, chairman of the Lithuanian Grain Growers’ Association, is even more sceptical about the VAT initiative.

“It’s a strange suggestion, as plant protection products are already available in various pack sizes – from 1 litre to 20 litres. From a grain farming perspective, the packaging is optimal“, he said.

According to Mr Vanagas, professional crop farms often face the opposite situation – where the packaging for some products is too small. In his view, the need for smaller packaging might be more relevant to horticultural or berry-growing farms, where smaller quantities of products are used.

Nevertheless, the association’s director acknowledges that a wider choice is always beneficial to the buyer, as it can help them plan their purchases more accurately and reduce the amount of leftover product. At the same time, he points out that control of stock levels is strict, and that inspections assess both product accounting and storage conditions.

Producers: packaging is not determined solely by farmers’ needs

Manufacturers who responded to questions from “Agrobite.lt” state that packaging sizes depend primarily on market demand, registration requirements and environmental objectives.

Saulius Nainys, Sales Manager at BASF Lithuania, states that the company constantly assesses the demand for smaller packaging and responds to it. He says that distributors can also offer significantly smaller packages.

According to him, economic and environmental factors also influence the choice of larger packaging. EU policy encourages a reduction in packaging waste, so the expansion of very small packaging sizes is not always consistent with overall environmental objectives.

“Bayer Crop Science Lietuva” takes a similar stance. Povilas Viganauskas, the company’s sales manager for the Baltic states, states that the demand for smaller packaging is taken seriously, but only those packaging sizes specified in the product registration can be supplied to the market.

According to him, package sizes are determined by a whole range of factors – from production and logistics to the product’s cost price and demand. At the same time, it is recognised that an inappropriately chosen pack size can result in additional storage and administrative costs for farmers, so the company promises to respond to justified requests.