Glyphosate ban lifted: Rajitha and Pesticides registrar in a tussle 

Releasing a gazette the Registrar of Pesticides has lifted the ban on glyphosate for all crops throughout the country. 

In a gazette notification dated July 11, 2018, Registrar J.A. Sumith said that on the advice of the Pesticides Technical and Advisory Committee, he was rescinding the order made under Section 11 of the Control of Pesticides Act No.33 of 1980 and published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 1937/ 35 of October 23, 2015 which cancelled every licence issued in respect of pesticides containing the chemical glyphosate.

The Government imposed the glyphosate ban in 2015 over fears that this chemical was one of the causes for the kidney disease epidemic in the North-Central Province and elsewhere.

However, the recent move has now outraged Minister of Health, Rajitha Senaratne. He says the registrar cannot lift the ban contrary to cabinet decisions. While in 2017 the ban imposed in 2015 was lifted only for tea and rubber crops the Minister says the registrar cannot lift the ban on all crops. According to him, the new gazette is contrary to the cabinet decision made and he stressed that no public officer can act against them. 

Accordingly Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera says a new Gazette will be issued today once again lifting the ban of glyphosate use for tea and rubber as other industries are now managing without glyphosate and have not requested the use of it.