Fertilizer shortage: Farmers engage in protests

COLOMBO (News 1st); Farmers of 41 farmers' organizations of the Polonnaruwa Elahera Farmers' Movement staged a protest in Bakamuna today (13) over the lack of fertilizer for their cultivations.

Moreover, Mapakada farmers in Badullaprotested at the Mapakada paddy field, demanding authorities to announce who received free organic fertilizer for their cultivations.

A group of farmers in the Siyambalawewa area in Yapa village, Dambulla also staged a protest today demanding the provision of fertilizer for their cultivation.

Several months ago, Sri Lanka banned the importation of chemical fertilizers in a bid to move towards organic farming.

For months, Farmers across many areas in Sri Lanka have been protesting against the shortage of fertilizer in the country.

The ban on chemical fertilizers — widely used in the tea and rice industries — was opposed by farmers who staged protests after reporting failing vegetable crops as existing stocks began to run out within weeks.

The promulgated regulation restricting and banning the import of fertilizers and agrochemicals is leading to widespread concern among Sri Lanka’s farmer community, industry associations, practitioners, and agricultural professionals.

The Sri Lankan Government has also decided only to use organic fertilizer in the country and plans on importing organic fertilizer from overseas.