Parliament

Amendments to establish proper standards in pesticide use

Irangika RANGE, Sandasen MARASINGHE and Disna MUDALIGE

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided when Parliament met at 1 p.m. yesterday. Following the presentation of papers and oral questions the House took up several regulations under the Pesticide Control Act.

Agricultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (UPFA): I present these amendments today for the 26th section of the Control of Pesticides Act in 1980. These will help to establish proper standards and quality control in the use of pesticides.

The amendments include the labelling, selling and the use of pesticides. It also include the appointment of an officer and a committee in this regard.

These are presented for the welfare of the nation. In the Ports, the pesticides will be sought under the international law.

We experience a spread of kidney disease in many parts of the country including Anuradhapura.

Water and air are polluted due to the contact of pesticides and both humans and animals are affected by this.

In the name of a good harvest we should not promote pesticides.

We must first inquire about the health of the citizens. Pesticides must not be used for instant results.

Proper management should be introduced for pesticides, and the use of them should not harm the environment and the health of the people. The natural methods to control pesticides must be given priority and these must be encouraged.

P. Harison (UNP)

We must be thankful for the Agricultural Minister for proposing these suggestions even after some delay.

People annually die as a result of pesticide use. The quality of the pesticides are not sought properly. Sometimes, banned chemicals are imported to our country.

The officers who are responsible for these sometimes have no literacy.

We must acquire least harmful pesticides compost for cultivation. There is no price control for pesticides. Farmers are unaware about it. They become innocent victims. I suggest that the companies which import pesticides must take partial responsibility for the pattern of their use.

Kidney disease has spread fast in many areas in the country as the Minister noted. We have failed to identify the exact reasons for the illness.

The paddy is not bought by the Government properly. There is no proper mechanism for it. Even after paying a large sum of money for pesticides. They become miserable when they could not sell their paddy.

The Agriculture Ministry must also mediate to prevent the forest Department acquiring the lands used for chena cultivation.

Ranjith De Zoysa (UPFA): A rapid agricultural development is being experienced in the country today. Therefore, this amendment is timely and important.

They are weedicides, pesticides and we cannot say that, these are totally bad for the environment. The irregularities which have arisen in using them have caused major problems.

There is an agricultural councellor in every district. I propose that they must be encouraged to take actions for pesticide control.

Farmers have been seriously exploited when the chemicals are sold at the prices the companies decide. The sole authority to decide these prices are taken by the private companies. I think the state must involve in making controlled price for them.

By the overuse of pesticides the environment is being destryed. Serious soil erosion can be experienced due to the cultivation of the 'Gherkin' variety of cucumber.

Due to the use of pesticides without proper standards and control many illnesses have emerged, which even doctors could nto detect.

Under Mahinda Chinthanaya Indiri Dakma 'Api Vavamu - Rata Nagamu' Program agriculture has been given a boost. The correct initiatives are taken for the development of the agricultural sector.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu takes the Chair.

Gamini Jayawickrama Perera (UNP): There is monopoly of rice mill owners. We appreciate the Gazette presented today. But the responsibility of the Ministry extends further than presenting Gazettes. It must propose solutions practically for problems such as suicides.

Today, even papaya and banana are cultivated and sold in the market after applying pesticides. We eat these things which are harmful to our selves.

Measures should be taken to prevent excess production of food. Then the over use of pesticides may be controlled. When the chili harvest get good prices everyone starts to cultivate chillies. They are ultimately unable to sell their harvest. We do not apply pesticides only for grass. Natural methods to control pests should be improved and encouraged.

Sudarshani Fernandopulle (UPFA): From the initiation of farming to harvesting and even thereafter people use pesticides to store the harvest. So, it has grievous effects on the consumer as well as on the environment. The pesticides are used to get rid of insects and weeds that have the cultivation but the problem is that it destroys insects which are useful to the cultivation. So, I am happy that the Agriculture Minister took this measure to control the import of pesticides.

There is another issue in the usage of pesticides, that is the farmer do not use pesticides in a proper way.

They dilute pesticides in a way it decreases its strength below the instructed level. This resulted in developing a immune system in the insects making it difficult to control those insects later.

These pesticides not only harms the insects and the environment but also the human beings as well.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake (DNA):

Today I think the pesticides give the highest commission to the businessman engaged in pesticides business. The pesticides give a 35 percent commission to the businessman and it exploits the farmer.

Today our farmers do not produce seeds in the traditional method. They get them from the companies. So that the monopoly of seeds is maintained by a few companies. One kilogram of cabbage seeds is Rs 4,800 when it reaches the farmers in Nuwara Eliya it is Rs 43,000. It is not fair.

Today the luffa farmer has to sell 2,000 kg of luffa to get the price of 1 kg of luffa seeds. In this way a sizable portion of farmers' harvest is taken by the multinational companies. This system should be changed.

A H M Azwer takes the Chair.

Dr Rohana Pushpakumara (UPFA):

Today any person can buy pesticides from any business outlet. So a large number of people have committed suicides consuming pesticides. This is a great burden on the Health Ministry. So there should be some kind of a control in selling pesticides.

Another matter is that people's health is affected by the usage of pesticides. One such health hazard is renal ailment. More than 1,000 people and another 1,000 in Mahiyanganaya are getting treatments for renal ailments.

Dr Jayalath Jayawardene (UNP): There is a special saline for dengue patients. But it is not available in Government hospitals. On the other hand most of the medicines needed for renal ailments are not available in most of the Government hospitals.

Now as a doctor, I request Sudarshanee Fernandopulle and Rohana Pushpakumara to urge the President to import these essential medicines and salines.

Lasantha Alagiyawanna (Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Deputy Minister): The usage of pesticides has serious consequences on peoples health. Therefore we have to create a mechanism to control the pesticides use.

Victor Antony (UPFA): There is nobody who could claim that he or she is free from diseases. The people die due to many ailments which we never have heard earlier. It is because heavy pesticide use during food production.

The natural water which we get as a gift of nature cannot drink today because it is contaminated with pesticides.

Sajith Premadasa (UNP): Today the paddy cultivators in Hambantota have faced a problem of selling their paddy harvest at a certified price. The paddy cultivators lament as they cannot sell one kilogram of rice at Rs. 18. They should be given a permanent price for their paddy.

Ven. Ellawala Medananda Thera (JHU): Today a lot of pesticides are used for farming in this country. It has become a dangerous threat for the human beings. We used to plough our paddy fields by using cattle those days. But today ploughing is replaced with machines. This situation has resulted in destroying the soil and bio diversity. When we use chemicals microorganism and worms living in soil would die. The scientific structure of soil and underground water will be affected due to pesticides. That is why we find a number of kidney patients in Anuradhapura. Those days we followed environment-friendly methods. We should continue them since they do not harm animals and humans. We have to study our own farming methods which we used in ancient times. The Government should encourage farmers to use ancient farming methods which will double the harvest and without harming the people's health.

Lukhsman Seneviratne (UNP): The Government has already imported rice that is sufficient until year 2011. So how can farmers sell their paddy.

They are helpless today and the only option that they have is to consume pesticides. Farmers in Mahiyanganaya are unable to sell their Paddy harvest. The Government should introduce a national program to make people aware of new farming techniques. Then more people will take to farming.

Today paddy, vegetables and potatoes farmers in Badulla have faced with a number of problems.

The Government imports potatoes during the harvesting period. Today we can see the number of cultivatble lands are being reduced. We have to implement a proper program to encourage farmers on farming. The Government only purchases two percent from the national paddy production. It is not sufficient. The Government should provide a stable price for the paddy.

H.N. Yogarajan (UNP): Prabha Ganeshan has forgotten all pledges given to the people. He is a traitor. President needs a majority in the Parliament to change the Constitution. That is why he asked them to crossover. Those who crossed over should be removed from their membership in UNP.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa

Pesticides cause greater harms for the health of human beings. Many Multinational companies are engaged in selling pesticides and it has become a large-scale business. We have to control pesticides use. The usage of pesticides is increasing in Sri Lanka. But we can see a drop in pesticide use in developed countries. It has identified that several pesticides cause greater damages to the ozone layer as well.

Farmers also sometimes use pesticides more than the required rates. This has resulted in damaging soil and the biodiversity.

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Ravi's bid to change Constitution thwarted

Irangika RANGE, Sandasen MARASINGHE and Disna MUDALIGE

An attempt by UNP Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake to amend the Constitution through a private member's motion was voted out in Parliament yesterday by a majority of 53 votes.

At the commencement of public business, MP Karunanayake sought to introduce a Bill to amend Chapter XIV of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by vesting every citizen over the age of 18 years, the ipso facto entitlement to be an elector and imposing responsibility on the Elections Commissioner or such other authority to facilitate the exercise of franchise and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto."

The Government opposed leave to introduce the Bill. It said that such a motion could be presented only with the consensus of the House.

However, the UNP MP insisted that the Bill should be allowed to be introduced.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa then called for a vote on the Bill owing to the wrangling between the Government and the Opposition. MP Karunanayake called for a division by name but the Speaker refused to take the vote in that manner.

Only 34 MPs voted in favour of the UNP MP's motion and 87 MPs opposed it.

The DNA and TNA MPs supported the motion and only the Government MPs opposed it.