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Fertiliser issue: Government to import 2.4 billion litres of nano nitrogen

06 Nov 2021

  • Tests liquid fertiliser application process at research farm 
  • We are drowning in debt: Farmers
  • Veg farmers cast doubt on effectiveness of new fertiliser
 By Yoshitha Perera Sri Lanka’s transition from chemical to organic fertiliser sparked a national controversy and has become a topic of debate internationally. The Government justifies its sudden policy change, arguing that excessive chemical fertiliser use had deteriorated soil fertility and increased soil acidity, resulting in a slew of public health issues. Meanwhile, farmers alleged that the Government’s hasty switch to organic fertiliser had not enhanced crop yields, and would instead plunge the country into a situation where its food security is threatened, and leave the farmers further burdened with debt. The sudden change, initiated between two crop seasons, had left the population divided as to the merits of the change. Farmers had also complained of the availability, effectiveness, and delays in receiving the new nano fertiliser. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Agriculture Additional Secretary (Agriculture Technology) Dr. Ajantha de Silva said that a balanced application of organic and inorganic fertilisers was important in soil management, and the Government would provide the necessary guidance to the farmers based on their requirements. Responding to the farmers’ claim that the crop seeds provided were of a hybrid nature and therefore did not withstand organic fertiliser, Dr. de Silva said that the hybrid seeds were responsive to the fertiliser and the farmers had to apply sufficient organic and inorganic fertiliser to increase crop yields.  “All hybrids (seeds) need nitrogen, especially for their growth and development. Nitrogen is required to be applied based on the requirement of the plant,” he said. Dr. de Silva added that Sri Lanka did not use hybrid seeds for paddy cultivation. Instead, it uses inbred lines and open pollinated varieties, which are bred through a normal breeding process. “Organic manures are important for paddy cultivation, and we have open pollinated seeds for that in our country. We use only hybrid seeds for vegetable and maize cultivation,” he explained.  Responding to a query on how much more organic fertiliser the country needed for the Maha season, Dr. de Silva said that the total land extent for paddy in the Maha season of 2021-2022 was around 800,000 hectares, and so far, the farmers were able to utilise nearly 250,000 hectares with the available organic fertiliser. “Land preparations were also done for another 500,000 hectares. We hope that we will reach our target. We have to provide nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for all cultivable lands, especially those which grow paddy,” he said.  Dr. de Silva said that the farmers must apply 60 kg of potassium per hectare of paddy in the form of natural mineral-based potassium chloride. “We need 48,000,000 kg of potassium to cultivate a total of 800,000 hectares of land for paddy, and we have already imported the total requirement,” he said. Explaining the process of applying nitrogen for paddy cultivation, Dr. de Silva said that the Government was ensuring the necessary nitrogen was available for the paddy lands through three methods. “One is we request farmers to make compost on their own farmland, and we have given them an incentive of Rs. 12,000 per hectare for this. We have already released Rs. 7,500 as the first instalment for the farmers who registered. Through this, we are trying to produce 500 kg of compost per hectare per person. This will be done through the Agrarian Development Department,” he said.  He said the second method was that the Agriculture Ministry was providing biofertiliser, which could ensure nitrogen fixation and solubilise phosphorus. “During the growth period (two, four, and six weeks), we have to provide nano nitrogen, and for one application, we will give about 1.25 litres per hectare. Through government-owned fertiliser companies, we are to import 2.4 billion litres of nano nitrogen,” he said. Dr. de Silva further explained that apart from paddy, the Government was expecting to cultivate about 100,000 hectares of maize annually. “So far, we have covered about 35,000-40,000 hectares for maize,” he said.  Responding to the allegation by farmers that the imported liquid nitrogen fertiliser does not have sufficient amounts of urea, Dr. de Silva said that the particular liquid fertiliser had 4% of urea and nitrogen, and pointed out that the farmers would have to apply it to the plants in a different manner than they are used to.  “I know that the plants usually need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium through the roots, but this nano fertiliser (that is being imported), which is in liquid form, can be given through the base of the leaf; so, the way it absorbs is also different,” he said. He further assured that even though it contained 4% of urea and nitrogen in liquid form, the Government was considering numerous strategies to meet the requirement of the plant. “This is not the conventional way of application, so we will be testing as well, while it is being used in the field. Our research station in Bathalagoda is conducting research on this, and we have a testing process to check the efficiency of this fertiliser,” he said. Speaking on the Chinese fertiliser shipment, Dr. de Silva said the Ministry had decided not to test a third sample, since the Sri Lankan Government had not issued a bulk permit for the importation of that fertiliser. “We don’t have any commitment to do a third sample test or to allow that fertiliser into Sri Lanka,” he said. Views from farmers and farmers’ organisations Farmers around the country commenced protests demanding the necessary fertiliser be released, while also demanding a revision of the Government’s decision to switch to organic cultivation. Sharing his grievances, Gune, a vegetable farmer from Kekirawa, claimed that nano nitrogen liquid fertiliser or any other form of organic fertiliser had not been delivered in their area, not even to the Agrarian Service Centre in Kekirawa. “A small number of vegetable farmers in the area are still trying to harvest their lands by using their old chemical fertiliser stocks. Some farmers had experimented with both organic and chemical fertilisers, and there was clear evidence that the yields of the crops that were given organic fertiliser were not that successful,” he claimed. He claimed that vegetable and maize farmers used hybrid seeds, which required chemical fertiliser, adding that those farmers understood that it was not possible to have a successful harvest just by using organic fertiliser. “I personally believe that compost fertiliser is better suited for those who cultivate small pot plants, but it is not enough to cultivate hectares of land. The authorities have to understand that the soil is accustomed to chemical fertiliser, and that it is impossible to convert to compost fertiliser or organic fertiliser overnight,” said Gune. Explaining his situation, Gune said that he usually harvests around five bags of maize, which is cultivated over nearly 20 acres of land, but this time around, he only planted enough for his family to consume. “With the expenses, there is no point harvesting with organic fertiliser; we would only sink further into debt. A bag of 5 kg of maize is now Rs. 9,500. The tractor fees are around Rs. 9,000, and the planting fees and the manual labour charges are also high. At the end of the day, we would only drown in debt. It’s the same situation with most of the farmers,” he claimed. Gunatilake, a vegetable farmer from the Badulla District, told The Sunday Morning that farmers had been using chemical fertiliser for decades, and claimed that switching to organic was impossible. “The Government gave no assurances about the availability of other relevant inputs. Without the appropriate pesticides, how can farmers prevent pests and diseases from damaging crops? Some of these compounds can be found on the black market, but at exorbitant costs,” he added. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation (ACFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne said that the imported liquid nitrogen fertiliser contained only 4% of urea and nitrogen, which was not sufficient. “The Government said that two-and-a-half litres of nano nitrogen was enough for one hectare. However, it is not sufficient. Academics from the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) said that a hectare required at least 1,250 litres of liquid nitrogen for normal paddy,” he said. Karunaratne further added that farmers need urea fertiliser for paddy after two weeks of cultivating the seeds, and up until two weeks, the nutrients in the soil were enough for the paddy. “But for the paddy to grow more after two weeks, it requires nitrogen, and then after another 28 days, you need more urea. Since we now have liquid fertiliser, which is getting absorbed through the leaves, by the time of two weeks, you’d need to give nitrogen externally,” he said. Karunaratne said that a paddy plant that was two weeks old was not very mature, and most of the fertiliser that would be used on it would seep into the soil. However, the paddy plant needed more fertiliser. “The paddy plant absorbs only a small amount of fertiliser that way (through the leaves). When that happens, sufficient amounts of nitrogen and nutrients that the plant needs are not given to the plant. The plant gets weak, thus affecting the harvest directly,” he said. Explaining the total fertiliser requirement for the Maha season, Karunaratne claimed that the country simply does not have enough fertiliser stocks which would suffice for all of the paddy, vegetable, maize, and other cultivations. “The Government said they would supply the required amounts of fertiliser by the Maha season, but nothing of that sort has happened thus far,” he said


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