• Pesticides Registrar instructed to cancel licences of traders selling substandard agrochemicals

The relevant companies have agreed to reduce the prices of all agrochemicals including insecticides, pesticides and herbicides by 20% - 40% based on the current prices in the world market, the strengthening of the Sri Lankan rupee against the United States dollar and the Government being able to release the US dollar reserves needed for imports.

A special meeting to discuss the reduction of agrochemical prices was held at the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday (3). Speaking during the meeting, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the Government is carrying out a programme to provide subsidies to farmers and to reduce the cost of production as it is at a high level at present. He also requested the relevant companies to reduce the prices of agrochemicals at considerable rates during the Maha cultivation season. "There are several developments that make it possible to reduce agrochemical prices. For instance, their prices have gone down in the global market and the Government is now able to release sufficient sums of US dollars to import them. In addition, the rupee appreciated against the US dollar. With these developments, it is possible to reduce these prices to a considerable level," he said.

Considering the explanations made by Amaraweera, the companies which import and distribute agrochemicals have agreed to reduce the prices of certain types of agrochemicals by 20%, while the prices of certain others will be reduced by 40%.

Amaraweera also said that the raids carried out by the relevant authorities to prevent agrochemicals from being brought into the country by illegal means will be expanded. He also instructed the Registrar of Pesticides to take steps to cancel the licences of traders who sell substandard agrochemicals, and to speed up the implementation of the amendments to the Control of Pesticides Act, No. 33 of 1980.

As then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa banned the import and use of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals in April, 2021, the country saw a huge shortage of fertilisers and agrochemicals which eventually resulted in a great setback in the agriculture sector, particularly in paddy cultivation. Although the ban was lifted in November 2021, the issues which had arisen in importing them had caused a massive increase in the prices of fertilisers and agrochemicals.