Chemical fertilizer ban will benefit a few cronies – JVP
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Vijitha Herath told journalists in Colombo yesterday (10) that the decision to use organic fertilizer instead of chemical fertilizer was a good one but added it had a hidden agenda and what appears on the surface is not on the inside.
Herath said the government’s decision to stop chemical fertilizers and import organic fertilizers will help pro-government businessmen.
He said it was a clear sign that pro-government businessmen were sacrificing the lives of farmers in the country for their personal benefit.He said that although the government should have taken action to make the process of producing organic fertilizer locally and eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers in a long-term manner, the decision taken at a sudden was a boon to a number of businessmen and a step taken by the government only to please them.
(Source: Daily News – By Bakthi Mendis)
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I usually support this government since they display at last some signs of having a rudimentary backbone when it come to dealing with international bullies and doing what is good for the country, and have some vision for the future of Sri Lanka when the others have none. Having said that, banning Chemical fertilizers without any gradual transition from one to another is absolute stupidity. Where are the studies and data for what the yield will be? Have those advised the government in this policy thought why the other countries use the fertilizer from the same companies have not experienced increase of different illnesses in their populations? If the organic fertilizer Sri Lanka going to import is based on animal matter (usually human faeces too), what about the likelihood of new diseases like diarrhoea, hepatitis and decently spreading in the country?
If the other countries have not experienced such link between chemical fertilizer and diseases, surely it must be a Sri Lankan problem of overusing fertilizer and not following the manufacturers’ guidelines. I have observed the same reckless way Sri Lankan farmers use pesticides and weedicides to get better results with higher than recommended doses and then harvesting and sending for the public consumption before the correct number days pass for the residual activity of the chemical to disappear. If that is the real problem behind the increased diseases in Sri Lanka, stopping use of chemical fertilizer will only result in drop in harvest and hunger. Also, as being told, if it is a matter of having no money to buy chemical fertilizer, citizens have the right to know.
Indra Akke,
That is a BRILLIANT discourse.
Land is a scarce resource in our land. We expect whole, extended families to survive on an acre, two acres of land. The farmer is driven to maximize yield to enable a living for dependents.
Throw chemicals and make the bandakka grow; only way to pay the school fees and the phone bills and the medicals.
I read recently that 2,700kg of organic fertilizer is required to replace 1kg of Chem Fertilizer.
What a logistical disaster.
To go organic, the farmer should allocate a section of his land to produce organic fertilizer to cultivate in the remaining portion of the land.
This can only be done in the very rich countries (Sweden) where agriculture is heavily subsidized.
Looking forward to more of your always BRILLIANT comments.
Thank you again, Indra Akke.