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.