• Seeds are adept to chemical fertiliser, not organic: Farmers 

• Plantation sector disgruntled, seeks better alternatives 

• Ban will not affect cultivation in this season: State Minister 

By Yumiko Perera    In a bid to make Sri Lanka one of the first countries in the world to eliminate the use of agrochemicals, while giving way to the new policy of completely converting to the use of organic fertiliser, the Government suspended the issuing of letters of credit to import agrochemicals into the country.  Staying firm in their decision of banning the import of agrochemicals including herbicides/weedicides and pesticides, the Government has turned away two shipments from China carrying 18,000 MT of chemical fertiliser.  President Rajapaksa reiterated that they have opted for this move to minimise the pollution of water sources while encouraging the people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, citing agrochemicals are taking a toll on the health of the people.  Lauded as a progressive move by many, promoting the use of organic fertiliser would undoubtedly result in a healthier end product, but not without a cost.  Speaking with The Sunday Morning, All-Ceylon Farmers Federation National Organiser Namal Karunaratne noted that while organic farming is commendable, the implementation of the President’s proposal would however have to involve the provision of alternative solutions.  “While we commend this move, there are several things that need to be taken into consideration before going ahead with such drastic changes that could alter the lives and the livelihoods of many,” Karunaratne noted.  Stating that the All-Ceylon Farmers Federation have worked towards educating the farming community with regard to the adverse effects caused by agrochemicals and chemical fertiliser, Karanaratne went on to say: “When you take a handful of soil, there are organisms that live in the soil that help in the agricultural process. The use of agrochemicals over a period of time has caused soil degradation.”  According to Karunaratne, the conventional method of farming Sri Lanka has carried out over the past few decades could be identified as industrial agriculture, which refers to farming systems that include the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and other continual inputs and genetically modified organisms.  “The seeds that the farmers use for cultivation only seem to react to conventional farming methods, such as chemical fertilisers and other agrochemicals. Arable lands have slowly begun to degrade with the continual ploughing, combined with heavy use of fertilisers, explained Karunaratne.  According to Karunaratne, converting to organic fertiliser would not prove to be beneficial, given that most arable lands are not adept to organic fertiliser, as chemical fertiliser has considerably altered the quality of the soil.  Pointing out that the move to ban the import of chemical fertilisers has raised doubts and created anxiety amongst the farming community, Karunaratne went on to say: “The fertiliser which was available for Rs. 1,000 has gone up to Rs. 3,000. Earlier, farmers had several benefits when it came to agrochemicals. The farmers were able to buy agrochemicals that cost Rs. 2,000 in the market for Rs. 1,500 and benefits such as that are no longer applicable.”  Speaking on the shortage in fertiliser that farmers across the island have complained of, Karunaratne shared: “There is most definitely a shortage in fertiliser, although the authorities may say otherwise. It is also important to highlight that there is a significant hike in the price of fertilisers as well, and above all that, there is no fertiliser in the market even if the farmers were willing to pay extra for it.”  Reiterating that changes such as the move to convert to organic fertiliser cannot and should not be made overnight, Karunaratne lamented that this was an extremely shortsighted move on the part of the Government, as many factors had not been taken into consideration.  Highlighting that this move had been in the pipeline for a while and the decision had not been made in a haste, the State Minister of the Production and Supply of Fertiliser and the Regulation of Chemical Fertiliser and Insecticide Use Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva, speaking with The Sunday Morning, noted: “The import of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals would be halted. This would not, however, impact the production process of this season.”  Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd. is set to produce, supply, and distribute organic fertiliser to the farming communities with the co-operation of local government institutions, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.  In 2020 alone, 574,700 MT of fertiliser had been imported into the country, according to the Agriculture Ministry’s National Fertiliser Secretariat.  In a recent “Viyathmaga” press conference, MP Nalaka Bandara Kottegoda had revealed that Sri Lanka still has enough chemical fertiliser to last the farming communities for at least one-and-a-half to two years.  Reassuring that the farmers have nothing to worry about, Kottegoda shared: “We have the fertiliser that we need, only the import of chemical fertiliser has been restricted, not the use of it.”  While the farming communities are waiting with bated breath to continue with their agricultural activities, the shortage of fertiliser being made available to them has resulted in a grave sense of uncertainty. In this backdrop, the estate sector had also raised its concerns with regard to the sudden move to halt the import of agrochemicals into the country.  Planters’ Association of Ceylon Chairman Bhathiya Bulumulla, speaking with The Sunday Morning, shared: “There is enough research to back the fact that chemical fertilisers indeed make a difference when it comes to the quality of the production.”  According to Bulumulla, the moment the plants are deprived of the nutrients they used to receive, the same level of production cannot be expected.  Expressing concern over the move, and pointing out that the plantation sector would take a hit because of this short-sighted decision, Bulumulla added: “It goes without saying as to how much the economy of the country is dependent on it. The plantation sector would be dead.”  Stating that the Government should provide better alternatives ahead of the move, as the farming communities in the country are in dire straits at present, Karunaratne, in conclusion, noted: “The Government should have given the farming community a heads-up ahead of making policy decisions such as this. The only thing the Government can do right now is to make sure the farmers have access to fertiliser that they have been promised, and that too, at a fair price, preferably with an ease in restrictions when it comes to quantity control as well.”