Organic fertilizer to the fore

*More than 13,000 farmers trained

*Plans to curtail chemical imports

*Treasury allocates Rs. 400 m

Hiran H. Senewiratne

The Government is now in the process of promoting organic fertilizer for agriculture and plantation sectors to cut down chemical fertilizer imports by 25 percent in the next three years. This is an initiative taken by the Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Ministry.

Sri Lanka imports Rs 6 billion worth of chemical fertilizer to the country annually and the Government plans to curtail chemical imports by 25 percent in the next three years, Deputy Director (Research) and Executive Coordinator Ministry of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services, Prof. Hemantha Wijewardena said.

He said they have started a three year pilot project on organic fertilizer production and use, funded by the Treasury to promote the use compost fertilizer in agricultural and plantation sectors because it had been proved that use of chemical fertilizer alone cannot increase the yield in any crop.

All research and development activities are carried out at the Regional Agricultural Research and Development Centre in a 80 acre land at Gonawila Makandura in the Kurunegala District and are working with all line Ministries including the Plantation Industries Ministry and the Indigenous Medicine Ministry to promote the concept , he said.

Under this program we will be promoting the integrated plant nutrition system especially for commercial level agriculture and plantation industries. In this program they promote the use of both organic and chemical fertilizer for commercial crops ," he said.

The Treasury has allocated Rs 400 million from the last budget to promote this concept islandwide and have created awareness programs on the importance of utilization of compost/organic fertilizer for crops.

So far they have conducted several training/demonstrations for more than 13,000 personnel throughout the country covering farmer societies, tea smallholders, rice farmers and many more, Prof Wijwardena said.

"Sri Lanka's soil is low in fertility because dry countries like Sri Lanka it is found that organic contain is very low due to the high soil erosion and the mis-management of soil by farmers. Therefore, to increase the fertility level in the soil organic fertilizer is the solution," he said. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has emphasized the use of organic fertilizer for all agricultural purposes in the Northern Province, Prof Wijewardena said.

Currently many organizations have been registered with the Ministry to produce and supply compost/ organic fertilizer and with these promotional activities the demand for compost/organic fertilizer will be increased dramatically with the commencement of agriculture activities in the Northern Province, he said.