President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the relevant officials to implement a comprehensive mechanism in consultation with all sectors to provide organic fertiliser to farmers for the Maha season without any shortage.
The President’s National Policy framework, “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” ensures the people’s right to a non-toxic diet to create a healthy and productive citizen. To make this a reality, the President’s objective is to transform the entire agricultural sector of the country to use organic fertiliser. President Rajapaksa stressed the need to achieve this goal, for the benefit of future generations, without causing any hindrance to farmers.
For this purpose, the production capacity of organic fertiliser should be increased. The President instructed the officials to import the quantity of high-quality organic fertiliser, if the quantity of fertiliser produced locally is not sufficient.
The President gave these instructions during a special discussion held with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and organic fertiliser manufacturers at the Presidential Secretariat recently.
Fertiliser manufacturers said that the organic fertiliser for agriculture can be produced locally within a few seasons.
At present the Government spends a large amount of funds annually to import chemical fertiliser. The President said that this amount could be used to encourage the production of organic fertiliser.
The Ministry of Agriculture has already taken several steps to make the program a success. State banks will offer low-interest loans to make the project a success.
Plans have also been made to educate Agricultural Instructors and Agricultural Research Officers at district level on the use of organic fertiliser. The Ministers in charge of the subject said that the mechanism has been formulated to purchase organic fertiliser produced in all parts of the country by the National Fertiliser Secretariat and to distribute the fertiliser based on the type of crops including paddy.
The President instructed the officials to inspect the soil at rural level prior to the Maha season and obtain a report on the amount of fertiliser to be applied.
Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, State Ministers Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, Secretaries to the Ministries in charge of the subject and manufacturers of organic fertiliser were also present.