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State companies to buy organic from local producers

31 Aug 2021

  • Fertiliser distribution via Agrarian Development Dept.
  • Balance stocks, if required, will be imported: State Min. Secy 
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Two State-owned companies have been instructed to purchase and distribute organic fertiliser produced locally by various companies and to distribute them among farmers through the Agrarian Development Department.  Speaking to The Morning, Promoting the Production and Regulating the Supply of Organic Fertiliser, and Paddy and Grains, Organic Foods, Vegetables, Fruits, Chillies, Onion and Potato Cultivation Promoting, Seed Production and Advanced Technology Agriculture State Ministry Secretary M.N. Ranasinghe said the two companies are Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Limited. (formerly the Colombo Commercial Company Ltd.) and the Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd.  “Local companies are currently manufacturing organic fertiliser according to their capacity. Therefore, we have instructed these two companies to purchase them by following the relevant procurement processes and to distribute them among farmers through the Agrarian Development Department,” he added.  Ranasinghe also said that all organic fertiliser products purchased in this manner should comply with the standards introduced by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI).  “Policy matters are being handled through the State Ministry. In addition, the Fertiliser Secretariat will oversee the process as a regulatory body and the commercial bodies involved in this process will be these two companies.”  When queried as to whether the stocks of organic fertiliser manufactured locally would be sufficient to fulfil the fertiliser requirement in the country, he said that if the locally produced organic fertiliser is not sufficient, action would be taken to import organic fertiliser and that several identified organic fertiliser-related products have already been ordered.  A proposal to ban the use and importation of chemical fertiliser, and agrochemicals such as pesticides and herbicides/weedicides was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the same was granted approval, following which the relevant gazette notification was issued in May 2021.  However, the Finance Ministry, through the gazette notification number 2238/45 of 31 July 2021, relaxed regulations on the import of chelated (a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions) minerals and micronutrients for the purpose of producing fertiliser.  Accordingly, nitrogen (N) fertiliser, phosphate (PO₄³⁻) fertiliser, potassium (K) fertiliser, fertilisers containing such minerals and chemical fertilisers containing a combination of fertilising elements, that were previously banned from import, were brought under the import control licence (ICL) by the aforesaid gazette notification.  At that time, Treasury and Finance Ministry Secretary S.R. Attygalle, speaking to The Morning, said that no chemical fertiliser would be imported in bulk as had been done previously. He emphasised that the licenses would be granted under the supervision of the Agriculture Ministry and the Imports and Exports Control Department for permitted items as contained in the aforementioned list in order to enhance the quality of the organic fertiliser. The list includes nitrogen fertiliser, phosphate fertiliser, potassium fertiliser, fertilisers containing such minerals and chemical fertilisers containing a combination of fertilising elements. “In order to produce carbonic fertiliser, one needs both compost and a liquid. Compost contains about 1% nitrogen. However, nitrogen is required to produce the said liquid component of organic fertiliser and the percentage of nitrogen needed for this purpose is about 4%. That is why this import is taking place,” he added.

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