Between 600 and 700 Indian plant seed producing companies are meeting today (05) at Hotel Hilton in Colombo without obtaining prior permission from Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Ministry, reports say.
As a result, the ministry has instructed the Customs and the Plant
Quarantine Division to act strongly with regard to plant seed imports from India.
Director general of the Department of Agriculture Rohan Wijekoon said none of the Sri Lankan plant seed producers were attending the two day meeting at the Colombo hotel.
Attempts to contact the ministry secretary for further details failed.
According to reports, this is an annual event which was held in Indonesia last year.
Illegal plan for a plant seed exchange
Meanwhile, Environment and Nature Study Centre’s national coordinator Ravindra Kariyawasam alleged an illegal plan for a plant seed exchange between the two countries at the Indian producers’ meeting.
He said it would be an attempt to snatch the rights of local plant seeds.
Environmentalist Sajiva Chamikara said Indian plant seeds brought to Sri Lanka contained large amounts of waste material which could lead to outbreak of various diseases.
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Indian seed producers meet in Colombo sans permission
2018-02-05T02:23:00-08:00
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