The President’s Prosperity Vision Policy Statement stated that the entire agriculture of the country should be directed towards the use of organic fertilizers. But there was no mention of how it would happen.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has decided to ban the import of chemical fertilizers. It is to acquaint the farmers with the use of organic fertilizers.
But no farmer agrees. They point out that this is not something that can be done in a hurry and should be done step by step. They point out that plants that have been accustomed to chemical fertilizers for many years are difficult to adapt to organic fertilizers at the same time and farmers have to bear the loss.
But the president has a different opinion. He says previous governments have tried to popularize the use of organic fertilizers but have not been able to sustain it, but this challenging process needs to identify the right strategy and work for the country.
The President has informed the farmers that the government is ready to buy in excess of the guaranteed price if there is a change in the yield due to the reduction in the use of organic fertilizers and the farmer should not be afraid of that and the government is ready to bear the cost so that the consumer can get rice at the prevailing price.
He also said that the government is ready to provide the necessary facilities if the companies that imported chemical fertilizers start producing organic fertilizer.
The President made this observation during a meeting with members of the Presidential Task Force on Creating a Green Sri Lanka with Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change at the Presidential Secretariat.