Sri Lanka defends Ceylon tea after Russian ban

COLOMBO, Dec 20 (AP): Sri Lanka's plantation minister has denied that the country's agricultural products, including its famous Ceylon tea, are dangerous, days after Russia imposed a temporary ban on such goods.
Russian agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor banned all imports of agricultural products from Sri Lanka starting Dec 18, saying it found an insect known as the Khapra beetle in the packaging of a consignment of Sri Lankan tea.
On Wednesday, Plantation Minister Navin Dissanayake said the insect is not common in Sri Lanka and there is less than a 5.0 percent chance that it came from the island nation.
He said the insect could have entered the container when the ship stopped in other ports on its way to Russia.
BBC from London adds: Sri Lanka was making a special appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to remove a ban on Ceylon tea.
Two ministers are leading a delegation to Moscow to request the suspension on Sri Lankan tea imports is lifted.
Imports were halted last week after Russia found an insect known as the Khapra beetle in a tea consignment from Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is determined to settle the issue as it maintains the discovery was an 'isolated incident'.
It is not clear whether the beetle, a known pest of rice and grain crops, was found alive or dead.
President Maithripala Sirisena has urged Sri Lankan tea farmers not to panic, assuring them that the government would take necessary steps to settle the issue.
Mr Sirisena told a rally on Sunday that he was optimistic that "as a friendly country", Russia would help Sri Lanka.
Plantation Minister Navin Dissanayake and Industry Minister Rishad Bathiudeen are leading the special delegation to Moscow to reassure the Russian government.