Moves to control use of pesticides

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided when Parliament met at 1.00 pm yesterday. After the presentation of papers and oral questions, the House took up the Regulations under the Control of Pesticides Act for debate.

Acting Agriculture Minister Y G Padmasiri:

I present the Regulations under the Control of Pesticides Act for the approval of the House.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair.

Over the past three decades, Parliament approved and passed several Acts and Orders to control the use of pesticides. The use of pesticides should be controlled to protect the environment, land and health of the people. The use of pesticides spread across the world after 1960 with the Green Revolution. Sri Lanka was an agriculture based country that used traditional methods to control the pests. The natural methods did not harm the land or the people. The Agricultural Ministry hopes to establish control over the pesticides used by 2020. From the regulations made today, the licence fee for the import of pesticides which was Rs. 8,000 has been increased up to Rs. 100,000. When the licences are given, the storage and distribution facilities will be inquired. During the importation of pesticides, a special licence should be taken from the Pesticide Registration Bureau by paying Rs. 1,000. A field evaluation report has been made compulsory at the registration of pesticides.

Every six years after the registration, a certificate should be obtained after testing a pesticide sample at state laboratories.

The ministry will establish a district and regional level post-analysis system for the use of pesticides. It will be implemented next year.

P Harrison (UNP):

The agro-chemicals that are banned in other countries are being imported to our country. These contain harmful chemicals and are dangerous to the people. The WHO has also mentioned about them. Recently, four such agrochemicals were banned as of the order of the President. However, these are still available in our market. How can this happen?

These poisonous agro-chemicals have resulted in the increase of kidney ailments in Rajarata. The regulations must be brought to control the import of harmful agro-chemicals into the country.

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Moves to control use of pesticides