Proceedings of the Asia regional workshop on the

Executive Summary
- 157 -
SRI LANKA
by J.A. Sumith
Pest management in Sri Lanka is mostly pesticide dependent and <strong>the</strong> annual imports <strong>of</strong>
pesticides cost around 0.1 percent <strong>of</strong> Gross Domestic Production in 2002. Sri Lanka has successfully
phased out a number <strong>of</strong> hazardous pesticides including all <strong>the</strong> WHO hazard Class 1 pesticides and
persistent pesticides from usage. The currently recommended pesticides are less toxic and least
persistent than <strong>the</strong> earlier pesticides. Safer alternatives are available for <strong>the</strong> spectrum <strong>of</strong> pests
controlled by POP/PIC pesticides. The stocks <strong>of</strong> outdated pesticides are quite significant and hence
disposal is a serious issue which needs immediate attention. Although persistent pesticides were
prohibited from use in agriculture and from public health more than two decades ago, traces <strong>of</strong> some
pesticides and its derivatives have been detected in some environmental compartments and this needs
fur<strong>the</strong>r investigation. There is limited information available on <strong>the</strong> residues <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se chemicals in
groundwater and surface water bodies, which are found in large numbers in agriculture areas.
Awareness on pesticide related issues, concerns and required remedial measures are alarmingly poor
among most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sectors in <strong>the</strong> society.
As <strong>the</strong> regulatory authority responsible for proper management <strong>of</strong> pesticides in <strong>the</strong> country,
Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Registrar <strong>of</strong> Pesticides has to depend on certification <strong>of</strong> product quality by <strong>the</strong> foreign
manufacturer, but <strong>the</strong> authority is not adequately equipped to verify <strong>the</strong> claims. Cooperation received
from <strong>the</strong> Customs Department in controlling illegal imports and pesticide industry in safe handling <strong>of</strong>
pesticides, are very encouraging. However, certain improvements are needed in custom
classification procedure to ensure prevention <strong>of</strong> possible imports through improper declarations.
Incidences <strong>of</strong> pesticide related accidents are very high in Sri Lanka while most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> incidents are
for suicidal intent. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, environmental damage due to pesticides has not been
adequately studied.
Sri Lanka strongly advocates adoption <strong>of</strong> IPM technology to control pests, <strong>the</strong>reby, reducing
<strong>the</strong> over dependence on pesticides. This in <strong>the</strong> long run helps to minimize pesticide-related hazards,
in addition to ecological benefits.
Introduction
Country pr<strong>of</strong>ile
The economy <strong>of</strong> Sri Lanka is mainly agriculture based. It has two sectors namely, domestic
and plantation sector. The domestic sector, which forms <strong>the</strong> dominant part <strong>of</strong> agriculture, accounts
for 1.7 million farm families in a population <strong>of</strong> around 19 million. Both sectors jointly contribute
20 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 34 percent to employment (Central Bank Report,
2002). Compared with countries <strong>of</strong> South <strong>Asia</strong>, Sri Lanka has a high population density <strong>of</strong> 0.35 ha
per person. Out <strong>of</strong> total land area <strong>of</strong> 6.5 million ha, only about 5.5 million ha are arable. Thus, it is
vital that <strong>the</strong> production efficiency in agriculture sector be improved both in production and post
harvest aspects.
In management <strong>of</strong> pests, <strong>the</strong> plantation sector approach in a more organized manner whereas,
in <strong>the</strong> domestic sector it is more complicated due to large number <strong>of</strong> farmers, crops and <strong>the</strong> pests