E2/Ceylon 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 Agricultural Research Administration 
 Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 
 Washington 25, D« C # 
 
 July lit, 1?53 
 B # E# P. Qi 428, 2nd Revision 
 
 PLANT QUARANTINE IMPORT RESTRICTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DOMINION OF CEYLON 
 
 This revised summary of the plant quarantine import restrictions 
 of Ceylon has been prepared for the information of exporters of 
 plants and plant products and for plant quarantine officials • 
 
 The summary was prepared by R. G« Oakley of the Division of Plant 
 Quarantines from the Plant Protection Ordinance of 1924 and from 
 regulations of July 22, 1938, as amended, issued under that 
 Ordinance, as presented in the Ceylon Customs Tariff Schedule for 
 April 1952. It was reviewed by the Director of Agriculture of 
 that country. 
 
 The information contained in this circular is believed to be 
 correct up to the time of preparation, but it is not intended to 
 be used independently of, nor, as a substitute for, the original 
 texts, and it is not to be interpreted as legally. authoritative • 
 
 A. very S. Hoyt 
 Chief, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 
 
PLANT QUARANTINE BPORT RESTRICTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 DOMINION OF CEYLON 
 
 BAGIC LEGISLATION 
 
 The Plant Protection Ordinance No. 10, June 27, 192^, empowers the 
 Governor in Executive Council to make regulations for the purpose 
 of preventing the introduction into Ceylon and spread therein of 
 pests and diseases injurious to, or destructive. of , plants* It 
 contains the following definitions: 
 
 Definitions 
 
 (a) "Plant" shall include all members of the vegetable 
 kingdom whether living or dead, or any part or parts 
 of such, but shall not include canned or preserved . 
 fruits or vegetables } 
 
 (b) "Pest" shall include any insect or animal which shall 
 in any stage of its development eat, destroy, or 
 otherwise injure any' plant } 
 
 (c) "Disease" shall include any fungus or organism of 
 vegetable origin which shall injure, destroy,, or be 
 parasitic upon any plant. 
 
 GENERAL REGULATIONS 
 
 (Regulations of July 22, 1938, as 'amended July 29, 19^3 * 
 
 Jan. 13, 19^5, Feb. 11, 19^6, July 2k, 1950, 
 
 and August 11, 1950) 
 
 Summary 
 
 The regulations cover plants and parts of plahts, living or dead, 
 and their containers; also insects and diseases, invertebrate 
 animals, and soil around plants. Import permits, designating 
 special conditions of entry in some cases, are required for items 
 listed in paragraph 2 (b) and phytosanitary certificates are not 
 required, except as may be specified in permits issued for arti- 
 cles enterable only under conditions of import permits. 
 
 Importations of potatoes, onions, culinary seed, turmeric, edible 
 vegetables and the seed of such vegetables (except tomato seed) 
 and the seed of ornamental plants, are exempt from inspection and 
 fumigation requirements. (See par. k (a)). 
 
. - 2 - 
 
 Ports of Entry- 
 It No person shall import any plant into Ceylon except through 
 the port of Colombo or the port of Talaimannar or t.he .airport of 
 Colombo (Ratmalana) or the Royal Air Force Station, Negombo. 
 
 Importation Prohibited 
 2. No person shall import or land in Ceylon — 
 
 (a) Aquatic plants (any) ; 
 
 Blackberry ( Rubus f ruticosus ) plants (any) ; 
 
 Cape tulips ( Homeria collina and H« miniata ) (any); 
 
 Coconut plants (any); 
 
 Helianthu s spp« (seed and plants) grown in the Western 
 Hemisphere; 
 
 Plants or seeds of any species from the American Tropics or 
 any country where the South American leaf disease of Hevea 
 ( Dothidella ulei ) occurs; 
 
 Plants packed with soil or compost (other than mulch which 
 can be completely removed from the plant and fumigated) , 
 except by the Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Refuse or sweepings containing vegetable matter, from any 
 ship or aircraft arriving in Ceylon; 
 
 Rice grass ( 3partina townsendii ) ; 
 
 Sugarcane setts, except by the Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Sweetpotato tubers or portions thereof from Africa; 
 
 Importation Restricted 
 
 (b) Aircraft importations of any plants, insects or invertebrate 
 
 animals i except under a permit in writing from the Director 
 of Agriculture ; , • ' 
 
 Cacao ( Theobroma cacao ) plants, pods or seeds (other than 
 cured seed) from any country, except under and in accordance 
 with a permit in writing from the Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Cassava ( ivianihot utilissim a) living parts, except under a 
 permit in writing from the Director of Agriculture; 
 
~3~ 
 
 Citrus spp» plants, except under a permit in writing from 
 the Director of Agriculture who shall grant such permit 
 only if he is satisfied that the country from which such 
 plant is to be imported is free from any virus disease 
 of the' citrus plant; 
 
 Cottonseed, unginned cotton, or raw ginned cotton ( uossypium 
 spp«) grown in the Western Hemisphere, except through the 
 port of Colombo, and except under, and in accordance with 
 the terms and conditions of a permit in writing from the 
 Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Heyea spp. seed or plants from any country, except under and 
 in accordance with the terms and conditions of a permit in 
 writing from the Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Living specimens of any insect or invertebrate animal not 
 already known to exist in Ceylon, except under a permit in 
 writing previously obtained from the Director of Agriculture; 
 
 Tomato seed, except from India. 
 
 NOTE: Although no permits are granted for the importation of tomato 
 seed from any country other than India at present, the Director of 
 Agriculture may request the mitigation of forfeiture of seed com- 
 plying with the following: "The consignment should accompany a 
 certificate from the Plant Pathologist or a competent authority of 
 the U. S # Department of Agriculture to the effect that the seed 
 was collected from areas where Co rynebacte rium m ichiganense does 
 not occur and also that the seed was disinfected with 1:3000 
 mercuric chloride. 
 
 By letter dated October lk 9 1952, to an importer, the Director of 
 Agriculture stated that "tomato seeds treated with ^amesan 1 were 
 acceptable for import purposes" to lieu of treatment by mercuric 
 chloride . 
 
 Fresh-Fruit import License Required 
 
 3« (l) No person shall import any fresh fruit into Ceylon without 
 a license issued by the Director of Agriculture or by an officer 
 of the Department of Agriculture authorized in that behalf by the 
 Director, or otherwise than in accordance with the terms and corn- 
 ditions of such license. 
 
 (2) No license shall be issued for the import of fresh fruit 
 from any country in which the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis 
 capitata ) or any other pest of fruits which has not become estab- 
 lished in Ceylon is known or suspected to exist unless the Directo: 
 of Agriculture is satisfied that either before export from such 
 country or during transit to Ceylon the fruit is so tj^eated as to 
 ensure that such pest, in all its stages, is effectively destroyed, 
 
(3) Every license issued under this regulation shall — ■ 
 
 (a) specify the country from which the fresh fruit 
 
 may be imported; 
 
 (b) be valid for the period specified in the license; 
 
 (c) be .subject to the conditions that it may be with- 
 
 drawn by the Director of Agriculture at any 
 time prior to the expiration of that period by 
 written notice addressed to the holder of the 
 license; 
 
 (d) be subject to such other special conditions as 
 
 may be set cut in such license by, or by the 
 authority of, theDirector of Agriculture; and 
 
 (e) be in the prescribed form. ' } 
 
 (k) No person shall land any fresh fruit at the port of Colombo 
 or at the port of Talaimannar or at the airport of Colombo 
 (Ratmalana) or at the Royal Air Force Station, Negombo, unless he 
 has satisfied the Collector of Customs at that port or airport, 
 as the case may be, that such fruit was grown in and consigned 
 from the country specified in the license issued for the importa- 
 tion of such fruit under (a) of this paragraph. 
 
 Inspection, Fumigation, and Disinfection 
 
 ^. (l) All living imported plants together with the packing cases, 
 pots, or coverings in which such plants may be packed shall be con- 
 veyed by the Customs authorities to the Inspector-in-Charge of the 
 Colombo Fumigatorium for examination. Provided thab this paragraph 
 shall not apply to potatoes, onions, turmeric, culinary seed, edible 
 vegetables, and the seed of such vegetables and the seed of any or- 
 namental plant. 
 
 (2) Every imported plant, which on inspection is found or sus- 
 pected to be infected with any pest or disease, shall be subjected 
 to fumigation or disinfection, or both, in such manner and to such 
 extent as may be deemed necessary by the Inspector, which shall be 
 carried out at the Colombo Fumigatorium. 
 
 Imported Plants hay be Quarantined 
 
 (3) The Director of Agriculture may order that any plant which 
 has been inspected be grown at the risk of the consignee for a 
 period of quarantine in special nurseries provided or approved by 
 the Director of Agriculture for that purpose. 
 
 (^) After examination and any necessary treatment, the articles 
 shall be delivered to the consignee together with a certificate 
 showing that they have been dealt with as required. No person 
 shall remove any article from the Fumigatorium until he has ob- 
 tained such certificate. 
 
- 5 - 3 1262 09242 2293 
 
 Destruction of Infected Plants 
 
 5. Any imported plant which in the opinion of the Inspector can- 
 not be cleaned by fumigation or other treatment and which is not 
 necessary for further observation shall, together with the packings, 
 cases, pots, or covering in which it may be packed, be destroyed 
 at the expense of the consignee. 
 
 Importation of Plants by Lail 
 
 6, irifhere any plants are sent to Ceylon through the i 03t Office 
 from a place beyond Ceylon the plants shall be conveyed to the 
 Fumigatorium under the supervision of the Postal Authorities at 
 the expense of the consignee or his agent and shall be examined 
 by the Inspector and dealt with as prescribed in paragraphs 3 &n& 
 4.