AgroPages-Glyphosate ban disrupted Sri Lankan cut flower exports to Australia-Agricultural news

Related News

Sri Lanka Customs seized 600 packets of glyphosate

A sudden decision by the Sri Lankan government to ban the glyphosate in October 2015 without consulting stakeholders badly hit exporters of cut flowers and foliage to Australia, a new study said.

Verité Research, a private think-tank, highlighted the plight of cut flower exporters as an example of weak stakeholder consultation in their study of the domestic barriers to trade significantly undermining export capacity.

“The impact of the ban clearly illustrates the implications of failing to undertake such consultation,” said the study ‘Sri Lanka's Domestic Barriers to Trade: Case Studies of Agricultural Exports’.

“The ban severely affected exporters of cut flowers and foliage to Australia, where glyphosate is the only dipping treatment permitted by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources of Australia for the devitalisation process required for importing cut flowers and foliage.

“Due to this unforeseen consequence, the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) is still in the process of negotiating an arrangement for floriculture exporters to Australia, over a year since the ban was introduced,” Verité Research said.