Permission granted to the private sector to import Chemical fertiliser, Pesticides and liquid fertilizer from today. The relevant Gazette notification will be issued tonight says Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. Sri Lanka government decided to revoke the April 26th issued gazette notification which ban import of chemical fertilisers.
Early this week, Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that there is NO change in the government policy on fertilizer. There is no change in government policy. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emphasizes that the country’s agriculture is only for a green agriculture that focuses on the use of organic fertilizers.
Farmers continue protests against fertilizer crisis in Sri Lanka. Over the past few months, farmers are protesting across Sri Lanka demanding either organic or chemical fertilizer.
Protesting farmers says there is a shortage organic fertilizer and they dont have much time to shift to organic fertilizer as the Maha Agriculture Season commenced this month.
Sri Lanka bans the use and import of chemical fertilizers promote the use of organic fertilizers. Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stressed that he will take up the challenge of making Sri Lanka the first country in the world to eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, without taking a step back on the decision to end the use of chemical fertilizers in the country.
Although the government has taken steps to produce local organic fertilizer, it has been hampered by the prevailing situation. As a result, to fill the gap, government decided to import standard organic fertilizer. Earlier. government officials said that the mechanism to provide organic fertilizer to farmers for the agricultural “Maha Season” without a shortage has been completed, but still organic fertilizer has not reached to farmers.
Sri Lankan farmers are protesting against the shortage of both organic and chemical fertilizer in the country.