Glyphosate ban lifted for tea and rubber

The ban which was imposed on the herbicide Glyphosate has been lifted for tea and rubber with effect from today (May 2), Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake said.

The Cabinet last week decided to appoint an experts’ committee to decide on the usage of the banned agrochemical. 

The committee was to be represented by specialist and intellectuals from fields such as health, agriculture and plantation industries while Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Navin Dissanayake, Duminda Dissanayake and MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero served as observers. 

The committee was taken after two cabinet papers from the Agricultural Ministry and the Plantation Industries Ministry were taken up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting on March 27. 

President Maithripala Sirisena in 2015 banned the imports of glyphosate as some studies have linked the use of the agrochemical to the Chronic Kidney Disease affecting the Sri Lankan farmers.

However, it was recently reported that the government was considering relaxing the ban on the glyphosate, a widely-used weedicide, to boost the dwindling tea crop.

Minister Duminda Dissanayake had recommended to the Cabinet to lift the ban on glyphosate for the plantation industry.

The imports and use of Glyphosate has been banned under the Import and Export (Control) Act, No. 01 of 1969.

The use of Glyphosate is believed to be the main cause for the chronic kidney disease (CKD) that is widespread in the North Central Province in the country.