Disciplinary action to be taken against Registrar of Pesticides

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage says that disciplinary action will be taken against the Registrar of Pesticides, over the gazette issued lifting the ban on Glyphosate and several other agrochemicals. 

The minister also said that he has ordered to revoke the said gazette notification. 

The Agriculture Minister yesterday instructed the Secretary of the ministry to call for an explanation from the Registrar of Pesticides regarding the gazette issued revoking a previous gazette imposing a ban on the use and sale of Glyphosate and four other agrochemicals in several areas. 

An Extraordinary Gazette notification had been published yesterday (22) revoking the Gazette issued in 2014 prohibiting the use and sale of several pesticides including Glyphosate. 

Issued by the Registrar of Pesticides Dr. J. A. Sumith and dated November 01, it revokes the previous Gazette “in the interest of the public and on the advice of the Pesticide Technical and Advisory Committee.”

The Gazette revokes the Order made under Section 11 of the Control of Pesticides Act, No. 33 of 1980 and published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 1894/4 of December 22, 2014.

The  Gazette issued in 2014 had prohibited the use, offer for sale or sale of agrochemicals containing the active ingredients Glyphosate, Propanil, Carbaryl, Cholopyrifos and Carbofuran in the following areas:

Within the Districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Monaragala and within the Divisional Secretariat, Divisions of Mahiyanganaya, Rideemaliyadda, Kandaketiya in the Badulla District.