• Being misled without proper solution: Farmers
• Potential of Eppawala Rock Phosphate deposit considered: Govt.

Over the past two months, a land extent close to 50,000 hectares had been repurposed for cultivation, the Ministry of Agriculture revealed. With the pandemic-driven lockdown derailing the food supply chain of the country, the State along  with eco-warriors encouraged everyone who had access to unutilised land to start cultivating. What seemed like a bright idea soon posed a conundrum to the new farmers with many facing fertiliser and water shortages to continue the fieldwork and ensure the crops are nurtured to their full terms. Amidst that, the Government also promised farmers that they will be provided concessions and encouraged them to go ahead and cultivate not only paddy, but also other crops such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Many of the farmers are now getting ready for the next cultivation cycle and are raising concerns over fertiliser shortages. The Sunday Morning spoke to an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, who wished to remain anonymous, to inquire whether there was still a shortage in fertiliser stocks. “We did have a short supply of fertiliser last month as the demand for fertiliser went up with an additional 50,000 hectares of land being used for cultivation. The Fertiliser Secretariat faced a lack of manpower and transportation issues due to the curfew and was not able to distribute the available stocks to the farmers on time as well. But now, there are sufficient stocks in hand and we have restocked fertiliser in all our storage facilities islandwide.” The official also revealed that the fertiliser supply was requested to be reduced by their advisory panel as they had found out the soil in Sri Lanka contains sufficient phosphorous. “We were advised not to issue the same quantity of fertiliser to the farmers. Furthermore, they are to conduct further studies and analyse the composition of soil in different cultivation zones. Based on the soil composition, the type of fertiliser that is to be used in different areas too will have to change.” The Ministry official further noted that for years, farmers had been mismanaging fertiliser in a way that it could have potentially changed the soil composition, creating an environment for  carcinogens to thrive. Experts have therefore advised the Ministry of Agriculture to educate farmers on using lesser amounts of fertiliser for their crops. Farmers misled All Island Farmers’ Federation (AIFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne, however, shared a different view;

“The Government has been misleading the farmer communities for a very long time. While the Cabinet Minister debunks our claims on the short supply of fertiliser, the former State Minster said there is a fertiliser shortage in the country. When we consulted the Fertiliser Secretariat, they said there was a delay in the distribution of stocks, which created the shortage. The farmers collectively suggested that the distribution and transportation of fertiliser should be considered essential services.”

Karunaratne reiterated that the Government had failed to ready the necessary fertiliser stocks for the upcoming cultivation cycle during the Yala season. He also noted that in comparison to the Maha season, the extent of land that will be cultivated this season would be less. State-owned fertiliser companies Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd. (Lak Pohora) and Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Ltd. (CCF) are only responsible for supplying 10% of the requirement of fertiliser, while the rest of the supply is handled by privately owned fertiliser companies, Karunaratne pointed out.

"Sri Lanka only uses three types of fertilisers: Urea, muriate of potash (MOP), and triple superphosphate (TSP). Any of these fertiliser types should be sold at Rs. 20 per kilogramme and a bag of fertiliser comprising 50 kg is to be sold at Rs. 1,000 due to price controls. The contents of these fertilisers are made up of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen molecules.”

However, according to Karunaratne, there is also a type of fertiliser known as “mixed fertiliser”, which is simply a mix of urea, MOP, and TSP and is sold under various brand names. One such brand of mixed fertiliser costs Rs. 165 per kilogramme, which is at this point the farmer is robbed by such fertiliser companies and their retailers. "They create a fertiliser shortage; they increase the prices on the available stocks and end up selling a bag of fertiliser at Rs. 1,200 or more, rather than selling it at the controlled price of the Rs. 1,000. In addition to that, when the farmer goes to purchase fertiliser, they are asked to buy the mixed fertiliser and urea, whereas in reality, the farmer should not purchase the mixed fertiliser.” Local production considered While the entire world is facing trade limitation due to the halt of production and restricted border movement, should the country face a shortage of fertiliser, the country will have to look at alternatives to manufacture fertiliser within the country. National Fertiliser Secretariat Director Mahesh Gammanpila recently revealed that the Government is looking at encouraging farmers to switch to organic farming practices, providing them the technical assistance to maintain their own compositing sites in their fields and also looking at making use of the Eppawala Rock Phosphate deposit to source the required phosphorus which also could substitute TSP.

“There is a huge demand for organically grown vegetables, and switching to this method will help conserve the rich soil of Sri Lanka in the future. If we exploit the readily available natural resources and the perishable waste that is generated in the country, we can manufacture sufficient fertiliser stocks to use within the country.”

Gammanpila claimed that the National Fertiliser Secretariat has a stock of nearly 40,000 tonnes of fertiliser in state-owned storages. Apart from the two state-owned fertiliser institutes, only another nine private companies are permitted to maintain fertiliser stocks in the country.