Sri Lanka puts glyphosate back on banned list

Sri Lanka has put glyphosate, a widely used weedicide, back on a banned list under the country’s import control law, in a gazette issued on November 30.

In 2017 glyphosate was named as a substance requiring a license.

“N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine and its salts and derivatives (Glyphosate)” HS Code 2931.39.10″ shall be inserted into Schedule IV (Banned) items of the special 2017 regulations, the gazette notice said.

Sri Lanka’s tea and other commercial food crop growers have been asking for glyphosate as it is internationally recognized as a safer weedicide than some others and leaves fewer residues.

Sri Lanka on November 30, lifted a ban on fertilisers imposed in May 2021 saying agro-chemicals cost around 200 million US dollars to import and they caused non-communicable diseases and kidney disease of unknown aetiology.

However, kidney disease appears to be prevalent in some areas where there is heavy metal in the soil and pipe-borne water is being supplied in preference to groundwater as one solution.