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Fertiliser crisis: Government yet to finalise quantity of fertiliser imports

04 Dec 2021

  • Fertiliser subsidies only for organic farmers: DG Agriculture
  • Says only private sector will import chemical fertiliser
  • DGA unaware of State Ministry’s fertiliser import policy 
By Yoshitha Perera Agriculture authorities were yet to determine the volume of organic and chemical fertiliser that needs to be imported for the Yala cultivation season, The Sunday Morning learnt. This comes at a time when farmers fear the outcome of the ongoing Maha cultivation season, following a sudden policy change on fertiliser. The sudden change caught the agriculture industry off guard, with local farmers unable to source adequate stocks of organic fertiliser for their crops, and highlighted poor planning and capacity building by the Government to ensure a smooth transition. The Government has indicated that it will continue to provide fertiliser subsidies only to farmers who practice organic agriculture. However, the diverse views expressed by legislators and state officials on the roadmap of going organic, add to concerns about the future of the agriculture sector and possible implications for food security. Last week, Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that Sri Lanka was looking to boost agricultural productivity by combining organic and chemical fertiliser.  However, speaking to The Sunday Morning, Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. Ajantha de Silva said that the Government’s green agriculture policy had not changed, and that it would only provide subsidies to promote organic farming. He said that the Government would neither intervene nor provide any subsidies for chemical fertiliser imports. The Director General pointed out that the Government and President had stated that they were committed to green agriculture, and would thus provide subsidies to farmers engaging in the same only. “The Government and the President have unequivocally said that they have not changed their minds about transitioning to green agriculture. As a result, the farmers who will benefit from the subsidies will be farmers who are adopting organic agriculture,” Dr. de Silva explained. Differing views on import policy Dr. de Silva claimed that chemical fertiliser will not be imported by the Ministry of Agriculture or any other government institution,, and that it would only be imported by the private sector. Responding to a question about the organic and chemical fertiliser that would be imported into the country, Dr. de Silva said that the Agriculture Ministry had not yet decided on the quantities, and that a meeting would be held soon with experts on the matter. “The Agriculture Minister will convene a meeting soon to discuss these challenges, particularly in preparation for the upcoming Yala season. Soon, we’ll meet with an expert team to explore the possibilities and lay out a strategy for maintaining a proper organic culture with government assistance,” he said. However, last Tuesday (30 November), Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Pathirana said that the Government had allowed the Agriculture Ministry to import the chemical fertiliser required for cultivation.  When questioned about this statement, Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. de Silva stated that he was unaware of the Government’s decision in this regard, and was therefore unable to offer his views on it. Recently, the Government stated it had decided to import agrochemicals and sell them at unsubsidised prices while continuing to promote organic agriculture. Addressing a workshop on “The national dialogue on the progress of organic cultivation” held at the BMICH last week, National Fertiliser Secretariat Director Chandana Lokuhewage stated that although the requirement of organic fertiliser for the current Maha season was 416,176 metric tonnes (MT), only 359,708 MT could be supplied. His statement highlights the urgent need for capacity building or imports to meet the shortfall in supply if the green agriculture policy is to continue. Meanwhile, Agriculture Ministry Secretary Prof. Udith Jayasinghe told The Sunday Morning that the Government had advised fertiliser firms registered with the Fertiliser Secretariat to import the highest quality chemical and organic fertiliser. “We’ve instructed fertiliser firms to get the best quality chemical and organic fertiliser required for crops. We’ve already given a roadmap to the Presidential Secretariat on how to handle the country’s food security,” he said. He went on to say that over 60,000 hectares of paddy had been planted in the current Maha season and assured that there would be no shortage of rice the following year. “We have already put in place several safeguards to protect the country from experiencing a food shortage. One approach is to revise the Gazette on organic fertiliser and enable the use of chemical fertiliser. We’re still working on scientific explanations, and we won’t be able to supply remedies right away,” he said. Farmers’ views All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation (ACFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne told The Sunday Morning that the farmers were pushing the Government to provide fertilisers, agrochemicals, and seeds for the Maha season at fair costs.  “Farmers, traders, and industrialists cannot benefit in these circumstances. The breakdown of fertiliser supplies has caused a significant increase in vegetable prices and damage to crops. Due to a lack of vegetables, the Nuwara Eliya Economic Centre was also shut down,” he claimed. He said if farmers do not receive fertiliser on time, the country’s food supply chain will be affected. “The Government’s refusal to provide fertiliser subsidies has laid the conditions for high costs. The private sector fertiliser import companies are the only winners here,” he stated. Meanwhile, farmers said that they had visited agrarian service centres in recent weeks, but there was no fertiliser available there. “Ministers say fertiliser is available at the agrarian service centres – but where is it? We have been visiting these centres for the past few weeks, but no fertiliser stocks were available,” Gune, a vegetable farmer from Kekirawa, claimed. He emphasised that the Government was conducting an experiment by implementing the conversion to organic fertiliser and again to chemical, and alleged that the people were being used as lab rats. “A small number of vegetable farmers in the area harvested their lands using existing chemical fertiliser stocks. Excessive rains had also affected our crops,” he said. Gunatilake, a vegetable farmer from the Badulla District, said that he believed compost fertiliser was better suited for those who cultivate small pot plants, but was inadequate for cultivating large areas of land. “The authorities have to understand that the soil is now used to chemical fertiliser, and it is impossible to use compost (organic) fertiliser on it overnight,” he said.  He further stated that the Government had given no assurance about the availability of the other pesticides and inputs for vegetable crops that were required. “Farmers have been using chemical fertilisers for decades, and so switching to organic overnight is impossible. Without appropriate pesticides, how can farmers prevent pests and illnesses from damaging their crops? Some of these compounds can be found on the black market, but at exorbitant costs,” he added. Farmers expressed concerns about a decrease in crops, as well as damaged fruits and vegetables due to a lack of insecticides and weedicides. The Government attempted to import organic fertiliser from China and nano nitrogen fertiliser from India, but both attempts were tainted by corruption. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Manning Market General Trade Association President Lal Hettige said that stocks of fruit were limited due to the shortage of fertiliser. Sources from the Thabuttegama Economic Centre also stated that they had recorded a significant drop in vegetable stocks and a lower turnout of farmers and consumers. Within the last two weeks, supplies at the Dambulla Dedicated Economic Centre had also dropped due to the unavailability of fertiliser, sources said. 


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