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China upset about fertiliser rejection

10 Oct 2021

By Buddhika Samaraweera The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka has claimed that the decision taken by the authorities to suspend the import of organic fertiliser from a Chinese company (Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group), due to the presence of harmful bacteria in several samples of organic fertiliser imported to Sri Lanka, is problematic.  Following tests carried out by local testing agencies, including the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQS), on the second set of samples of organic fertiliser made in China that have confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria in said samples, the Ministry of Agriculture recently decided not to import organic fertiliser from the relevant Chinese company. However, in a press release issued last Friday (8), the Chinese Embassy stated that the decision made by authorities to reject Seawin’s organic fertiliser based on the NPQS’s report is not only questionable, but also causes great financial loss to the company.  The Embassy said: “The NPQS claimed that the sample received contained harmful bacteria including Erwinia, after only three days of test and analysis. It is noted that, according to the International Plant Protection Convention, it will take at least six days to detect Erwinia. The hasty conclusion made by NPQS lacks scientific basis.” It further added that the Embassy hopes that the related parties in Sri Lankan side and the Chinese company could co-ordinate on the principles of respecting science and facts, and the spirit of contract, in order to resolve the issue promptly, adding that the differences should be addressed through dialogue in good faith for the mutual benefit of China-Sri Lanka co-operation.   “The Embassy of China in Sri Lanka contacted the product supplier Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd. to examine the issue, and found that these reports and statements, which have already harmed the reputation of the company in question, directly contradict the facts,” it also claimed.  Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd., known as Seawin, is a high-tech enterprise focusing on the production of a new-type of seaweed organic fertiliser, founded in 2000. Its fertiliser has been exported to more than 50 countries. The company was selected by the Sri Lankan Agriculture Ministry through an open tender to supply urgently needed organic fertiliser, the statement read.  “The company has undertaken obligations strictly in accordance with the signed contract. In its production process, organic fertiliser must be sterilised at 600 ℃. Thus all harmful microorganisms are killed by the high temperature, which is in line with the standards required in the bidding documents, the contract, the letters of credit and the widely accepted international standards for organic fertilisers,” the statement further noted. Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, on 29 September, told media that a decision was taken not to import organic fertiliser from the relevant Chinese company due to laboratory tests that revealed that the samples contained harmful bacteria. Since the mandatory tests carried out by several local institutions, namely the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), the NPQS, and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB), on initial samples of organic fertiliser from the Chinese company in question have failed, it was recently revealed that another set of samples were to be given to the local testing agencies.  However, the Agriculture Department Director General Dr. Ajantha de Silva recently told the media that tests carried out on said samples have once again confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria.  Recently, it was reported that a tender has been awarded to import 99,000 metric tonnes (MT) of organic fertiliser made in China, and that its value is approximately $ 63 million. It was also reported that the mandatory tests carried out by the SLSI, the NPQS, and the SLAEB on its samples have failed. According to the testing agencies, the stock of fertiliser could contain harmful micro-organisms, pathogens, and even diseases harmful to the soil, plants, and humans. A letter sent to the Fertiliser Secretariat by the NPQS on the test results of the first set of samples stated that both fertiliser samples they received contain harmful bacteria. According to the letter, two samples of solid organic fertiliser samples bearing numbers 388 and 389 have been referred to the NPQS by the National Fertiliser Secretariat on 31 August 2021. The samples have been subjected to standard microbiological tests to find out whether they are contaminated with culturable micro-organisms. Accordingly, the letter sent by the NPQS read: “Sample No. 388 was found to be highly contaminated with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Preliminary studies revealed the bacteria to be Bacillus spp and Erwinia spp, which can be pathogenic to plants. Similarly, sample No. 389 was found to be contaminated with gram positive bacteria, which is also a Bacillus spp.” Therefore, the samples submitted for laboratory investigation are not sterilised, the NPQS concluded in the letter.  A proposal to ban the use and importation of chemical fertilisers, and agrochemicals such as pesticides and herbicides/weedicides, was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by President Rajapaksa, and the same was granted approval, following which the relevant gazette notification was issued in May 2021.  


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