Colombo: outdated quarantine regulations hinder agricultural development

Regulations dating back to the 1950s in Sri Lanka prevent the importation of high-quality seeds and more resistant and productive varieties available in Southeast Asia. The restrictions were introduced to prevent plant diseases from Latin America. Now they force farmers to use low-yield seeds, with more fertilisers and pesticides.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - Due to quarantine laws from the last century, Sri Lanka's agricultural sector is unable to reach its full potential. While it is impossible for private entities to import high-quality seeds, local farmers are forced to resort to traditional low-yield varieties.

Experts believe that some of the best seeds are imported into Asia from Latin America by countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. It is no coincidence that the sector is at its peak in Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, cannot access it due to outdated quarantine laws. As a result, farmers are forced to use higher doses of fertilisers and pesticides on their crops, in the absence of an agricultural business model that allows companies to be at the forefront of research and development.

The Department of Agriculture requires very strict import permits for plants and seeds, which slows down the adoption of better agricultural practices. The National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS) faces challenges due to a shortage of qualified personnel, limited funds and outdated laboratory equipment that prevent efficient and modern pest detection.

Pradhantha Aroshan Seresinhe, managing director of CIC Holding PLC, recently reiterated at a press conference the problem of “archaic quarantine laws”, which were conceived in the 1950s and never repealed. At that time, South American leaf rust (SALB), caused by the fungus Microcyclus ulei, was a highly destructive disease of rubber trees, confined to the American continent, which posed a threat. ‘At the time, strict quarantine measures were implemented to prevent its entry,’ he explained.

As a result, since then, ‘the entry of any plant, plant product (including seeds, cuttings and roots) and packaging material from these regions, particularly those that could be carriers of leaf rust, has been prohibited. Consequently, the country is losing its agricultural potential in many respects because of this vision that has been in place for many decades.’

Agronomists Sameera Malalasekara and Randesh Vithanage told AsiaNews that ‘farmers now understand that in order to cultivate and improve their agricultural practices, they need to be more careful in their use of fertilisers. They turn to certain manufacturers for advice on the compounds and mixtures that are the best nutrients for their crops. These interventions have resulted in improved yields.’ .

The country's agricultural sector is severely limited by these outdated constraints, based mainly on Law No. 35 of 1999 on plant protection and previous regulations dating back as far as 1924. These "prevent the importation of high-quality, disease-resistant and high-yielding seed varieties. In addition, they force local farmers to rely on traditional low-yield seeds, reducing overall agricultural productivity and competitiveness in the region."

According to senior officials at the Institute of Post-Harvest Technology (IPHT) – the leading institute engaged in agricultural research and development – "the IPHT is initiating collaboration with foreign universities and research institutes to promote and provide high-yield planting material to local farmers, who represent 70% of the country's workforce. Currently, most farming communities adopt incorrect agricultural practices or use inadequate planting material, which ultimately leads to the production of poor-quality products."