COLOMBO (News 1st); The Sri Lankan Government has announced that permission was not granted to import chemical fertilizer for local agriculture purposes.

The President’s Media Division said in a statement that the President’s policy decision to only use organic fertilizer for local agriculture purposes remains unchanged and will not be reversed in the future.

It states that the proposal moved by the Minister of Agriculture on the 31st of May 2021 to import plant nutrients prepared using Chelated Mineral and Micro Nutrients was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

However, Gazette Notification No. 2226/48 prohibits the importation of Chelated Mineral and Micro Nutrients, and therefore the respective Gazette Notification was amended in order to enforce the Agriculture Minister’s proposal that was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Accordingly, the Finance Minister issued an Operating Instruction Notification No. 22/2021 under the Imports and Exports Control Department Regulations permitting the importation of special types of fertilizer via the Department of Agriculture and other respective institutions by using a specialized license system.

The President’s Media Division said only Organic Fertilizer that meets international standards will be allowed to be use for agriculture purposes in the country.

The licenses which are issued for a period of 06 months will permit the imports of Chelated Mineral and Micro Nutrients, and nitrogenous mineral or chemical fertilizers for greenhouses engaged in Conservation Agriculture and instituted engaged in hydroponics, aeroponics and floriculture.

Items that could be imported include nitrogenous, phosphatic, potassic mineral or chemical fertilizers, mineral or chemical fertilizers containing two or three of the fertilizing elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; other fertilizers; as well as goods in tablets or similar forms or in packages of a gross weight not exceeding 10 kg.

These imports will only be permitted under a specialized license program that will be issued to relevant institutions based on their needs.

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