• Says 6 boxes were destroyed, 12 cleared and released 

Director General (DG) of Agriculture, Dr W A R T Wickramaarachchi, defended the decision to release part of a consignment of Chrysanthemum flowers imported from India despite white fly insects being detected in several boxes, stating that local and international regulations had been followed and the fly in question is already present in the island.

Responding to queries from The Daily Morning, he said yesterday (25) the flower shipment had been imported legally with the required import permit, phytosanitary certificate and fumigation certificate issued by the Indian authorities.

He said that 18 boxes of flowers, which arrived in Sri Lanka on 12 January, were subjected to document checks and physical inspection at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Twelve boxes were found to be free of insect pests and diseases and were therefore released. However, six boxes were found to contain life stages of the white fly and were subsequently destroyed under the Plant Protection Act. 

Wickramaarachchi said however the white fly is already present in Sri Lanka and is considered a common pest found in local cultivations. He said that therefore it is not classified as a quarantine pest under plant quarantine regulations. “Even though the insect is already present in Sri Lanka, we don't allow imported insects to be released freely into the environment.

That is why the affected boxes were destroyed,” he noted. 

He further pointed out that the inspection and clearance process had been carried out in accordance with both local laws and international standards, including guidelines issued under the International Plant Protection Convention. He noted that the monitoring and control of insect pests formed part of the Department’s routine work and that no special investigation was required as no procedural lapse had occurred.

He added that insecticides as well as biological control methods are being used to manage white fly populations in Sri Lanka.

The issue was brought up in Parliament by Opposition Parliamentarian D V Chanaka, who alleged that local food crops are being destroyed by “white fly insects” that had been detected in imported Chrysanthemum flowers.

Efforts made to contact the Deputy subject Minister and the Secretary to the Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Ministry proved futile.