The government has decided to provide fertilizer to plantation companies while farmers are agitating for fertilizer throughout the country.
Considering the declining quality of tea produced in factories, the government has decided to import ammonia sulphate, ”said Plantation Industries Minister Romesh Pathirana while announcing the cabinet decisions.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa last May imposed a total ban on agrochemicals, saying he wanted to make Sri Lanka’s agriculture 100 percent organic. Tea plantation owners and farmers in other sectors were outraged by President Rajapakse’s policy. They warned that a shortage of organic manure and declining yields would lead to food shortages and affect the incomes of plantation workers.
As a result of discussions held by the Plantation Planters’ Association with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in this regard, the Cabinet has approved the importation of chemical fertilizers for tea companies.
“Although organic fertilizer is suitable for paddy cultivation, it will not be successful for tea cultivation,” said John Seneviratne, a former minister and current ruling party MP, in parliament recently.
Minister of Plantation Industries Pathirana told the media that the lifting of the ban on the import of chemical fertilizers would help Ceylon Tea growers, who export $ 1.3 billion annually. He added that the importation of chemical fertilizers will continue until the island produces enough organic fertilizer for local agricultural needs.
Despite such concessions to tea companies, other farmers across the country are agitating for the supply of fertilizer, setting fire to images of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.
Leaders of farmers’ organizations point out that a serious food crisis could ensue if chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not provided for paddy cultivation in the coming season.