The Gazette notification allowing the import of several spices, including pepper and turmeric, for re-exporting has been revoked.
The Gazette has been revoked following a request by Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera from the President at the last Cabinet meeting.
According to Lankadeepa newspaper, the government had recently issued a Gazette allowing the re-exporting of several Sri Lankan-grown spices, such as pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger, and cardamom.
However, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera is reported to have opposed the Gazette at the recent Cabinet meeting.
At the meeting, the minister pointed out that allowing the import of these spices, especially for re-export, discourages the local spice farmers and will also result in the collapse of the cultivation of local spice products.
He also revealed that this will have a strong impact on the quality of spices in Sri Lanka, which currently ranks first among the world’s best spice brands.
Taking into consideration these facts, the Cabinet of Ministers led by the President had decided to revoke the relevant Gazette and to suspend the import of spices to Sri Lanka for re-export. (NewsWire)