News

News

Contaminated seeds growing under surveillance, says Ministry Secretary
The company that was permitted to clear a consignment of seeds contaminated with a harmful weed last week had imported a similar consignment in September last year but was given permission to re-ship it after it failed quarantine tests.

The earlier stock containing 14 bags of rye seed had been imported from New Zealand by Pattipola Livestock Company Limited, a part of the Lanka Milkfood group, but after the Plant Quarantine Station (PQS) of the Agriculture Department refused to give clearance for the release of the seeds, the company sought the customs’ permission and re-exported the cargo through Stassen Exports company.

But in the case of the latest consignment, the Agriculture Ministry Secretary had intervened to release it despite objections from the Colombo Port’s quarantine officials.

The officials said they detected a harmful weed identified as Bromus Mollis in the consignment containing 500 kilograms of Tetila Rye grass seeds and 50 kilograms of seeds of Haifa white clover from Australia and ordered its reshipment.

However the company which imported the seeds wrote to the Director of the Seed Certification and Plant Protection Centre in Peradeniya, requesting the release of the shipment. When the request was referred to the Agriculture Ministry Secretary who has th authority to decide on such appeals, he decided to release the consignment.

Secretary Tissa Warnasuriya told The Sunday Times last week his decision to release the shipment was on an “experimental basis” and given on the guarantee by the company that it would not allow the harmful weed to flower and would permit regular inspection of the pasture where the seeds would be sown.

Seed certification Centre Director Dr.Kumudu Fernando told The Sunday Times that they would strictly monitor the growth of the seeds to ensure that the company complied with the conditions under which the seeds were released.
A committee has already been set up to monitor the harvest, she said.

Top

Back to News