Toxic flower containers allegedly carrying whitefly and fungus were released before reports, D.V. Chanaka tells Parliament.
Toxic flower containers carrying dangerous insects and fungus were allegedly released before test reports were issued, MP D.V. Chanaka told Parliament.
Member of Parliament D.V. Chanaka made the serious revelation in Parliament on May 21, claiming that 12 containers of imported flowers had been released on verbal orders from authorities.
He said the containers were later confirmed to contain extremely dangerous insects and a type of fungus capable of causing serious damage to Sri Lanka’s crops.
According to the MP, the issue arose during the inspection of containers of Chrysanthemum flowers imported into the country by a certain company on January 12, 2026.
Chanaka said quarantine officers had detected the presence of insects and a rust-like fungal condition during the inspection.
However, he revealed that 12 of those containers were released immediately on verbal instructions allegedly given by the Director General of Agriculture.
Subsequent test reports conducted by the National Plant Quarantine Service confirmed the presence of “whitefly” and a highly destructive fungal species in the flower samples.
The MP pointed out that the relevant sections had recommended that the pathogens be destroyed under strict health safety protocols because they could spread rapidly to crops.
But by the time those recommendations were made, the 12 containers had already been released into the country.
Chanaka said that under Section 96 of Regulations No. 35 of 1999, if any live insect is found in containers imported into Sri Lanka, there are legal provisions requiring immediate destruction.
Despite this, he revealed that 36 officers of the department had signed and informed the Minister and the Ministry against releasing the contaminated containers.
Chanaka further warned that insects such as whitefly could badly affect Sri Lanka’s vegetable and fruit exports.
He said crops such as mangoes and bitter gourd could be blocked from entering the European market if such pests spread.
The MP emphasized that the entry of new insects and pathogens would be a fatal blow to local agriculture.
He also alleged that the same company had previously brought more than 100 similar containers into the country on eight occasions.
