Ethiopia is a country of great geographical diversity which has provided diverse ecological conditions for development of wide variety of fauna and flora.

The country's agricultural economy provides a living for more than 80 % of the population and contributes about 45 % of the GDP and 90 % of the export.

Economic rehabilitation and reforms programmes put in place in the second half of 1991 and in 1992 were also intended to give an impetus to the industrial development in Ethiopia.

As a matter of fact, policies, programmes and strategies formulated then (e.g. agriculture-led industrialization), pursue the achievement of high agricultural productivity through the promotion of the use of agrochemicals and selected high yield seed varieties.

Introduced in Ethiopia to achieve both self - sufficiency in food and the control of vector born diseases (e.g. Malaria), the use of pesticides is also aimed at maximizing the cash crops.

Herbicides

As shown in table II, information at disposal concerns the following few pesticides Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT and Dieldrin, and does not include other POPs.

Currently there are about 1150 tones of obsolete pesticides stored in poor conditions on more than 250 sites all over the country. Mention should also be made of some 84 022 kg of empty Pesticide containers in need of proper disposal options.

A plan geared toward collecting these obsolete pesticides to eight central stations for ease of transporting/Shipping abroad, is being seriously considered by the government.

A proposal on the environmentally sound disposal of obsolete pesticides has been formulated by the Government of Ethiopia to FAO and other bilateral and multilateral finding agencies for possible financial and technical assistance.

DDT is the only Persistent Organic Pollutant currently in use. The importation of this pesticide by the Ministry of Health, is subject to special permission only for use aimed at effectively controlling vector born diseases in general and Malaria in particular.

Established in 1994 with the mandate to protect the Ethiopian environment, the Environmental Protection Authority encourages concerted effort by interested Ministries to develop and promote the Integrated Pesticides Management ('PM), a preferred method of pest control with minimum use of pesticides.

A registration scheme aimed at promoting the sound management of pesticides (POPs excluded), and initiated under the council of states special degree No 20/1990, was to be frilly implemented starting from June 1996, when the directives were approved and needs for registration specified.

The Department of Crop Production and Protection (Ministry of Agriculture), is responsible for drafting and/or upgrading Pesticide regulations.

The Advisory and Technical committee is entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that the registration documents submitted by the companies be in keeping with established procedures.

Membership to this coordinating mechanism is extended to the following Departments: Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Environmental Protection Authority, Institute of Agricultural Research and Ethiopian Standardization Authority.

- Ethiopia is currently participating in the PIC negotiation which also takes in to consideration the sound management of POPs;

- Effort is deployed by EPA towards identifying POPs sources, inventorying both POPs chemicals and pesticides and establishing an information data base thereof,

- Draft pest management policy has been submitted to the council of Ministers for approval;