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After the Government banned the use of chemical fertiliser and agro-chemicals, with the idea of creating a green-economy and saving 400million USD a year, traders have started hoarding already imported stocks of fertiliser with the intention of selling them later ay a higher price. But, since permission will be given to importing fertiliser in 2021, the government urges traders to release stocks to the market. Complaints have been flowing in from the farming community in the country, regarding the shortage of fertiliser due to the sudden ban.
Nevertheless, going in line with the idea of producing chemical free food, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa directed new initiatives to boost the production and application of organic fertiliser in the country. The president advised officials to study the machinery required to produce organic fertiliser and manufacture machines that could be built locally with the assistance of the Army Engineers Corps at Stat-owned factories and import the rest.
A statement from President’s Media Office said challenges may arise when implementing this program, but in accordance with the National Policy Framework ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour,’ the right of the people to a non-toxic diet must be guaranteed to raise a healthy and efficient citizenry.
Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage stated that steps would be taken to launch a special program to inspect the soil and recommend releasing only the required quantity of organic fertiliser to the farmers and to provide necessary soil testing equipment to all Agrarian Service Centres in the country.
State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa said that steps were being taken to provide the necessary technical knowledge to the farmers to produce organic fertiliser. It was also decided to provide a series of printed instructions to farmers to make them aware of the use of organic fertilisers.
Experts however have warned that the correct organic fertilizer use is an even more complex task than the application of chemical fertilizer and it may not be possible to use them for all crops.
