Three Ministry Secretaries assigned to approve agro chemical imports
The government has appointed a top-level committee of ministry secretaries to take over the task of approving agro chemical imports, taking over this task which is normally assigned to the Registrar of Pesticides, in a bid to ease restrictions and in a response to mounting protests by farmers demanding fertiliser and pesticides.
In pursuit of accelerating the importation of pesticides and herbicides for the ‘Maha’ season (September to March) without further delay; the Finance Ministry has hurriedly vested the power of approving agro chemical imports in these secretaries to the ministries of Agriculture, Tourism and Plantation Industry.
This action has been taken by the Finance Minister in accordance with a cabinet decision recently to quell the pressure from farmers agitating for fertiliser and pesticides without allowing the complete collapse of the ‘Maha’ season cultivation, informed sources said.
The appointment of these three officials to bear the responsibility to approve the permits of importing agro chemicals had been made in accordance with a cabinet decision on a memorandum submitted by the Finance Minister.
However this hurried decision will completely turn upside down the existing licensing and importation procedure which is being regulated by the Registrar of Pesticides, a top official of the institution said.
It is difficult to change the present system unless the present procedure continues with supervision of these three officials, the senior official, attached to the office of the Registrar of Pesticides who wished to remain anonymous, told the Business Times.
According to the cabinet memorandum, the three secretaries have been appointed as deputy controllers of imports and exports in addition to their present duties at ministries.
They have been given powers in handling the issuance of licenses (permits), procurement and distribution procedure of agro chemicals (pesticides and herbicide imports) expeditiously to meet the needs of farmers.
The present complex procedure of those imports will be simplified and streamlined under the newly appointed deputy controllers with powers to approve the import permits (licenses) of importers, Finance Ministry sources said.
Removing this responsibility from the Registrar of Pesticides and vesting it in three senior ministry officials will lead to a conflict of procedures, agriculture experts said.
According to the new procedure, the mandate of the Registrar of Pesticides will have to be redefined and the present activities of his office will have to be reviewed under the present set up, they said.
They added that this action is against the regulating and controlling procedure of agrochemical importation stipulated in accordance with Control of Pesticides Act No 33 of 1980.
There are no limitations on the amounts to be imported and this was one of the reasons for the increase in the importation of pesticides by smaller companies along with over 17 reputed firms including Hayleys Ltd, Harrisons Chemical (Pvt.) Ltd, Lankem Ltd, CIC and CPC.
80 importers with ISO 9000 and ISO 4000 certification registered with the office of the Registrar of Pesticides had imported pesticides into Sri Lanka.
There has been a severe shortage of pesticides and herbicides creating a black market for such agrochemicals and smuggling of these banned items became the order of the day as farmers were used to buy it paying high prices.