Cabinet granted approval to a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Healthcare & Nutrition Nimal Siripala De Silva to purchase 30,000 litres of Bacillus thurengeinsis israelensiss from Labiofam Pharmaceutical Biological Laboratories Enterprise, Cuba to initiate the trial planned to be conducted in 3 MOH areas in Kandy district.

The cost to purchase 30,000 liters of Bti from the Cuban manufacturer will cost approximately Rs.53,100,000 without freight charges and taxes.

Production of Bti (Bacillus thurengiensis israelensiss) in Sri Lanka by a local company under the guidance of Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) is being processed and it is not commercially available yet. Therefore, limited approval has been obtained from the Registrar of Pesticides, Sri Lanka to import 30,000 liters of Bti Manufactured by Labiofam Pharmaceutical Biological Laboratories Enterprise, Cuba pending registration of the product in Sri Lanka.

Two Cuban experts visited Sri Lanka in July 2009 and submitted a report with several recommendations which included the Application of Bti (Bacillus thurengiensis israelensiss) as a biological larvicide to control dengue mosquito vector in selected areas, which is not currently practiced in Sri Lanka

Courtesy: GDI