'Re-test our rejected fertilizer from 3rd party' - China requests from Agri Ministry

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka and representatives from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. have made a request from the Agriculture Ministry to re-test the rejected Chinese Organic Fertilizer via a third party.

This was confirmed to News 1st by the Director-General of Agriculture.

This development comes after the Colombo Port Harbour Master said he was unaware of the whereabouts of the ship ‘Hippo Spirit' carrying contaminated Chinese Fertiliser to Sri Lanka and, issued stern directives preventing it’s entry to the port.

On the 17th of September Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture confirmed that a microorganism identified as ‘Erwinia’ was discovered in samples brought down ‘unofficially’ to Sri Lanka and tested.

The supplier was the same, Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.

On September 29th, Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage announced the suspension of organic fertilizer imports from China.

This was after Director-General of Agriculture Dr. Ajantha De Silva on 28th September confirmed that Harmful Bacteria was detected in a fresh sample (2nd batch) of Chinese Organic Fertilizer.

However, on the 10th of October 2021, the Chinese Embassy said the comments noting that Erwinia was found in the samples from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. has no scientific basis.

Yet, the Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited had got a court order to block payment to Qingdao Seawin Biotech over the shipment of organic fertilizer which was contaminated.

The Colombo Commerical High Court had issued the order on October 22nd, against the Qingdao Seawin Biotech, its local agent, and the People’s Bank.