Proceedings of the Asia regional workshop on the

involved. Agriculture is <strong>the</strong> biggest user <strong>of</strong> pesticides in Sri Lanka. The extents under different
agricultural crops are given below; Rice (685 625 ha), Fruit crops (99 727 ha), O<strong>the</strong>r agricultural
crops (131 220 ha), and Plantation crops (694 674 ha) (AgStat, 2004).
Trends in pesticide use and trade
In Sri Lanka, <strong>the</strong> pest control is mostly dependent on <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic pesticides.
Pesticides are imported to <strong>the</strong> country as ready-to-use products in handy packages, bulk formulations
or technical materials for local formulations. By 2003 <strong>the</strong> CIF value <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country’s pesticide
requirement was 19.6 million US$ and <strong>of</strong> this 2.72 million US$ was allocated for <strong>the</strong> import <strong>of</strong>
technical material for local formulation. Of this 16.78 million US$ was allowed for direct import <strong>of</strong>
formulated products (Table 1).
Table 1. Foreign exchange spent for import <strong>of</strong> pesticides-2003
Item
- 158 -
Volume in Value in
Metric Tons US$ (’000)
Technical grade material for local formulation
Insecticides 216.39 1 900.08
Weedicides 193.90 717.95
Fungicides 6.78 121.56
Formulated pesticides
Insecticides 1 468.01 5 925.87
Weedicides 2 731.20 8 200.60
Fungicides 785.40 2 654.20
O<strong>the</strong>rs (acaricides, rodenticides, fumigants,
molluscicides, insect repellents, etc.)
19.55 74.79
Total 5 120.73 19 595.05
Source: Pesticide Statistics for <strong>the</strong> Year 2003, Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Registrar <strong>of</strong> Pesticides.
At present, over 1 000 brand pesticide products are registered (approximately 55 insecticide
active ingredients, 32 fungicide active ingredients and 30 weedicide active ingredients) which are
marketed and/or handled by more than 120 private sector organizations. The continuous dependence
on use <strong>of</strong> pesticides had brought a dramatic increase <strong>of</strong> imports since <strong>the</strong> enactment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pesticide
Law in <strong>the</strong> country from 2 309 metric tons in 1980 to 5 120 metric tons in 2003. Total annual
agricultural pesticide consumption was estimated as 1 696 metric tons <strong>of</strong> active ingredients at a cost
<strong>of</strong> 49 million US$ in 2000 (Table 2).
According to FAO (1997), Sri Lanka ranks very high in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> Pacific Region with regard
to pesticide related health hazards. Annually <strong>the</strong> total number <strong>of</strong> pesticide accidents in Sri Lanka is
around 20 000 <strong>of</strong> which 1 600 are fatal with 70 percent <strong>of</strong> this being suicidal attempts.
Regulatory control measures
Prior to 1962, pesticides were more or less freely imported into <strong>the</strong> country. With <strong>the</strong>
changing import policies in late 70’s, pesticides were imported on open general licenses even
including prohibited products such as DDT and endrin by unscrupulous traders. With <strong>the</strong> gradual
involvement by <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Agriculture, recognizing <strong>the</strong> need to exercise control over <strong>the</strong> use
<strong>of</strong> pesticides since early 60’s, an effective regulatory mechanism was brought into action in 1983
through <strong>the</strong> Control <strong>of</strong> Pesticides Act No. 33 <strong>of</strong> 1980. It makes provisions to regulate <strong>the</strong> import,