Thanks to smugglers, substandard pesticides, herbicides enter market

By Ifham Nizam

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has advised the Registrar General of Pesticides to take steps to amend the Pesticides Control Act immediately as there is a racket of selling fake and substandard pesticides and herbicides smuggled into the country.

Under the existing laws, fines and prison sentences imposed on those found guilty of the sale of substandard pesticides and herbicides as well as illegal importation of pesticides and herbicides that are smuggled into the country did not deter the traffickers of such items, a Ministry spokesman said.

Minister Amaraweera said that the Pesticide Control Act should be amended and steps should be taken to include new clauses so that the smugglers of substandard herbicides and pesticides will receive a penalty of Rs. 1.5 million and a prison sentence of three years or both.

It has been decided to allow the release of pesticides and herbicides in the market in 20 gram packets as the farmers cannot afford the increased prices.

The Registrar General of Pesticides has also decided to revoke the licences of the sales agents who are selling pesticides and herbicides smuggled into Sri Lanka.

It also decided to deploy several teams of officers from the Consumer Protection Authority as well as the Pesticides Registrar’s Office to conduct emergency raids on such places.

Importers and distributors of pesticides agreed to reduce the price of Pretilaclore one litre by 40 percent, Heydoll MCPA 60 one litre by 32 percent, Proxy one litre by 14 percent and Tetris 400 ml by 13 percent, of the herbicides used by most of the farmers.