The gazette notification issued by the Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake on June 10 says imports and use of Glyphosate are banned under the Import and Export (Control) Act, No. 01 of 1969.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last month announced that the imports and release of the agrochemical Glyphosate will be banned with immediate effect.

The Department of Agriculture in Sri Lanka on the directive of Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake took steps to ensure that the ban Glyphosate was strictly implemented throughout the country.

A strong demand has been made that glyphosate was necessary for tea cultivation. The Agricultural Ministry accordingly had decided to initially stop using it for paddy cultivation.

Cabinet of Ministers however had discussed and decided to completely halt the import of Glyphosate. Accordingly it is not possible to import the agrochemical any more, Minister Duminda Dissanayake said.

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.

In recent years a significant increase in the number of CKD patients has been observed in some parts of the country, especially in North Central, North Western, Uva and Eastern Provinces.

No concrete initiatives were taken in the past although various proposals were made and views expressed with regard to imposing a ban on the agrochemical. Doctors as well as researchers have lauded the initiative taken to ban the import of Glyphosate.