Toxin-free food program to fulfill a national responsibility: President

By carrying out the ‘Vasa Visa Nethi Ratak’ National Food Production Program throughout the country, the Government is not performing a political task but fulfilling the utmost responsibility to build a healthy nation, says President Maithripala Sirisena.

“Therefore, every party should get together with that program,” he emphasised.

The President was speaking at a meeting held with head of media institutions and newspaper editors to brief them about the special project to be launched in the Udawalawa Zone, Mahaweli B Zone and the Trincomalee District under the National Program for a Toxin-Free Country, carried out under the guidance of the President. The meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat.

“It is difficult to achieve the goals of this national program due to mega advertising tricks by the multi-national organisations. All media institutions should pay their attention on fulfilling the responsibilities for the country and the people by defeating those,” he said.

“The developed countries that introduced the pesticides to us are now getting rid of it, recognising the risk. Everybody should pay attention to toxin-free food production while gradually getting rid of the pesticides and chemical fertilisers which cause diseases and affect the health of the people in the country,” the President stated.

The President released the three-year plan of a toxin-free country on 7 March with the objective to make the entire Sri Lanka a toxin-free country, heal the earth and the hearts of the people and establish reconciliation in the country. This is a tenfold program.

This program includes producing toxin-free fertiliser, controlling the weeds without using toxins, introducing a proper method for water management, popularising usage of modern agricultural machinery and harvesting technology, storing the harvest without the use of toxin and purchasing the harvest from the farmers at a fair price. 

The initiatives taken by the Government already include banning of full weedicides, transforming the chemical fertiliser subsidy to a farmer subsidy by giving money to the hands of the farmers, expanding the production of organic fertiliser, providing facilities for agricultural equipment, creating toxin-free farming models across the country, promotion of local seed varieties and to create a national food consumption network to promote poison free food consumption. 

Mahaweli B Zone, Walawa Special Area and Trincomalee District have been selected for further promotion of the 2016 Maha Season program under the toxin-free nation program.   

Already programs have commenced to train the farmers in these zones regarding the techniques of toxin-free farming and under this program farmer leaders of the zones, Agricultural Research and Production Assistants, Mahaweli officials, members of the Civil Defence Force and 800 Samurdhi Officers will be trained. 

Farmers who joined the program will be registered and they will be enrolled into the Righteous Agricultural Societies and steps will be taken to purchase their harvest for a reasonable price. 

Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thero also addressed the gathering.