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Preparing for Yala season: Farmers complain of fertiliser shortage 

25 Apr 2021

  • No shortage claims Govt. 

  While preparations are being made for the Yala agricultural season in May, local farmers have complained that the Government has fallen short in their responsibilities.  According to the All-Ceylon Farmers Federation, the Government has delayed their fertiliser supplies and are yet to introduce a proper plan for the promotion of organic fertiliser.  Speaking to The Sunday Morning, the National Organiser of the federation, Namal Karunaratne, stated that the Government delayed their supply of fertiliser for the local farmers by almost two weeks.  He explained that this fertiliser was needed by the farmers prior to the seeding of their crops. However, the farmers only received their consignment after the seeding was completed.  “Our biggest farming population comes under the Gal Oya project, they did their seeding on 10 April, same as the Rajanganaya project, and then the Namal Oya project did their seeding on 12 April. But they are only getting the required fertiliser now, and it is useless to them now that the seeding is done. Even the urea fertiliser is being delayed,” said Karunaratne.  He explained that this put the farmers in a tough situation as many of them had to buy their own fertiliser.  He stated that when he visited the farmers in Mahiyanganaya, they had informed him that the price for a bag of fertiliser was around Rs. 1,900, with the price differing in other areas ranging between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 1,700.  Furthermore, Karunaratne stated that the Government is yet to initiate a proper plan to promote organic fertiliser amongst local farmers. He went on to state that while the Government's plan to introduce organic fertiliser is a good one, the farmers still do not know where to buy it from or what the real prices are.  However, the State Minister of Production and Supply of Fertiliser and Regulation of Chemical Fertiliser and Insecticide Use Mohan De Silva said there were no such delays in fertiliser.  He explained that there was a small issue in the Ampara District, where farmers did not receive their requirement of fertiliser, which was later rectified.  “We were not informed of this issue earlier, but when we were informed, we were quick to act and we made sure that the appropriate amount of fertiliser was sent to the farmers on 21 April.”  As for promoting organic fertiliser in Sri Lanka, De Silva stated that the Government is currently conducting a pilot project with regard to introducing the local farmers to organic fertiliser. He explained that a selected group of farmers are being given 70% chemical fertiliser and 30% organic fertiliser, while this percentage can differ in some areas.  “We are doing this pilot project to show our farmers that chemical fertiliser is not the only way to get the best yield. We are giving 30% organic fertiliser out of the required amount in some areas, in others it’s 50% and some farmers want 100% organic, but we need to complete the pilot project first.”  De Silva stated that Sri Lanka spends around Rs. 40 billion of its money annually on chemical fertiliser, because the farming community has been led to believe that chemical fertiliser gives a better yield. He went on to state that Sri Lanka puts the highest amount of chemical fertiliser per hectare when compared with other countries like India and Australia.  Due to this he stated that the country’s natural soil is being contaminated, with the soil in areas like Nuwara Eliya showcasing high levels of phosphorus. In order to combat this, the pilot project is ready to give 95,000 farmers organic fertiliser for the next agricultural season.  Speaking to us on the pilot project, State Secretary for the Ministry of Production and Supply of Fertiliser and Regulation of Chemical Fertilisers and Insecticide Use M.N. Ranasinghe stated that the project started last year during the Yala season, and has been active ever since.  He explained that the project has already gone through last year's Maha season and will go on for two more seasons, Yala and Maha, this year before reaching completion at the end of this year.  “Only a few farmers throughout the districts are engaged with the pilot project, and have agreed to the ratio of 70% chemical fertiliser and 30% organic fertiliser. A cabinet decision was passed to green light this project, and based on its results, we will come up with a plan to better implement organic fertiliser to our farming communities.”   PHOTO © International Atomic Energy Agency 


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