Not enough fertiliser manufactured from garbage, laments Minister
Sri Lanka has solid waste sufficient to manufacture one third of the
urea fertiliser requirement. A total of 160,000 tons of carbonic
fertiliser could be manufactured from the garbage collection annually.
But the turn out is only 15,000, Environment and Natural Resources
Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.
Minister Ranawaka was speaking at a ceremony to handover Pilisaru
Bandun to Prisons Commissioner General, Vajira Wijegunawarena at a
ceremony at the Prisons premises to mark the Piyakaru Purawara, Pilisaru
Masaya campaign launched by the Environment and Natural Resources
Ministry.
The Minister said through fortitude one can prosper in life and it
applies to prisoners as well.
“There are two categories of prisoners. You belong to the one in
which you were forced to commit offences. Crimes committed by the other
category have led the country to bankruptcy. Though the country is
driven to disaster, yet the offenders are safe in not coming to the
prison. You could be satisfied as you have not done anything detrimental
to the country. The carbonic project initiated by the inmates of the
Kuruvita Camp is an example for others as well”, he said.
The Minister said poverty has dwindled from 23 per cent to 14 per
cent.
Today we have a good labour market.
“The have-nots are only between 10 per cent to 14 per cent,” he said.
“Today capital formation and over-consumerism have made a serious
impact on the planet. Exploitation of resources and carbon emissions
have caused global warming, the biggest risk to the humanity,” Ranawaka
said.
Environment Ministry and Prisons Department officials participated.
Organic fertiliser popularisation programme
The Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Ministry has
launched an Organic fertiliser popularisation programme with a capital
of Rs. 500 million.
The ministry has also made arrangements to declare a carbonic
fertiliser popularisation week titled Saru Pasin, Saru Ratak from
September 1 to 5.
The inaugural ceremony will be held at Makandura Agriculture Research
and Development Centre on September 1, at 10.00 a.m., under the
patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Ministers, Maithripala
Sirisena and Hemakumara Nanayakkara and Deputy Minister Siripala Gamlath
will also participate.
The new programme anticipates to minimise the dependence on chemical
fertiliser as much as possible by the end of 2008.
The Agriculture Ministry envisages to progressively cut down the use
of chemical fertiliser by 25 per cent by 2010. |