President says farmers reject reversal of chemical fertiliser ban

• Assures farmers will benefit from Rs. 80 b spent on fertiliser imports
• Activates farmers’ insurance which was stalled during ‘Yahapalana’  
• Looks at increasing farmers’ pension
• Farmers’ unions allowed signing contracts up to Rs. 10 m 

Farmers in the country have told President Gotabaya Rajapaksa not to reverse the ban on chemical fertilisers, whilst he has promised to channel Rs. 80 billion spent on imports for their benefit.

“District farmers’ representatives, on behalf of 1.1 million farmers across the island, have urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa not to reverse the steps taken to use organic fertiliser,” said a statement from the President’s Media Office.

The farmers’ representatives had highlighted that it was their duty and responsibility to return to the traditional farming methods and provide the people with a non-toxic healthy diet. They had added that the citizenry would be grateful to the President for his decision to nourish a healthy next generation for Sri Lanka. 

The farmers’ representatives had assured President Rajapaksa that all the farmers in the country would support the President in overcoming the challenge of going for an agriculture based on organic fertiliser, as a team, for the benefit of all people in Sri Lanka just like the country once faced the challenge of concluding the war against terrorism.

Farmers’ representatives had shared these views at a meeting with the district farmers’ representatives of the Sri Lanka National Farmers’ Organisation held at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday. This organisation comprises 1.1 million farmers, 17,000 farmers’ organisations and 563 agrarian service centres.

The President had briefed the farmers’ representatives on the measures to be taken by the Government to address the use of organic fertilisers.

President Rajapaksa had pointed out that this was not a sudden decision and this initiative had been launched to fulfil a promise made in his ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ policy statement, as the presidential candidate. 

Noting that previous governments on a number of occasions had tried to convert to organic agriculture, the President had said that the reasons for their failure would be studied and the new program would be implemented rectifying those errors. 

“Some people try to point this out as a reverse journey. However, the President emphasised that the use of organic fertilisers, which is a new trend in the entire world, would take the country on a new path of agrarian economy. Many who speak out against the program are referring to prices of fruits and vegetables, which are produced using organic fertilisers. But they don’t pay attention to the farmers suffering from the use of chemical fertilisers,” the statement added.

“Cultivation has been largely paralysed over the past five years. The policy of the present Government is to uplift the agricultural sector. The increase in the purchase price of paddy from Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 per kilo is a step taken to encourage farmers. Later, farmers were able to sell their paddy at between Rs. 65 and Rs. 68 per kilo. The Government intervened to control the price of rice to protect consumers.”

The President had stated that the Government would create an environment where the farmers would be able to receive a sum of Rs. 80 billion spent annually on the importation of chemical fertilisers, while protecting the future generations from Non-Communicable Diseases.

The President had said that in order to implement the program continuously and successfully, the required amount of organic fertiliser including herbicides and pesticides would be made available to the farmers in the same manner the chemical fertilisers were provided. 

“At the same time, local entrepreneurs and industrialists will be given the opportunity to produce the required fertiliser locally. The farmers can also produce the organic fertiliser they need. The Government has made plans to provide the funds required for this purpose. The President assured that the income earned by the farmers will not be reduced and if it does, the Government would compensate so the farmer will not have to suffer.”

Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had handed over the ‘Farmers’ Insurance Scheme’ to the President, which was suspended during the previous Government and was activated from Thursday.

Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had also revealed that the Government was focusing on increasing the ‘farmer’s pension’. Aluthgamage had said that immediate steps would be taken to construct 105 new warehouses to store paddy, provide financial assistance to farmers’ banks and to update the agricultural database expeditiously.

“The President approved increasing the upper limit for contracts for farmers’ organisations from Rs. 2 million to Rs. 10 million for undertaking projects to rehabilitate tanks and canals. It has also been decided to expand the scope for direct involvement of farmers when selling harvest at economic centres,” the statement added.

State Ministers Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Mohan de Silva, Seetha Arambepola, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera and Government officials including secretaries to the ministries were also present.