• The challenge facing us now is to use modern scientific techniques and practices to enhance agricultural production

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emphasised the imperative need for an agricultural revolution that is in harmony with nature, a statement from the President’s Media Division (PMD) said yesterday.

The President made these remarks addressing a special conference organised by Sri Lanka on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland, under the theme “Rediscovering Nitrogen: Solutions and Synergies for Climate Change, Health, Biodiversity and Circular Economy”.
The Conference was held on October 31.

“My Government’s policy frameworks emphasise sustainability. This is reflected in Sri Lanka’s ambitious updated Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Mechanism,” President Rajapaksa said, according to the statement.

“The challenge facing us now is to use modern scientific techniques and practices to enhance agricultural production without causing environmental degradation… For decades, chronic kidney disease has been a serious issue in Sri Lanka’s agricultural heartland. The overuse of chemical fertilizers has contributed significantly to this problem,” the President said, adding in this context that his Government took firm steps to reduce imports of chemical fertilizer, and strongly encourage organic agriculture.

‘Although this action has been broadly appreciated, it has also met with some criticism and resistance. In addition to chemical fertilizer lobby groups, this resistance has come from farmers who have grown accustomed to overusing fertilizer as an easy means of increasing yields,’ the President said. “This is particularly unfortunate considering Sri Lanka’s rich agricultural heritage”, the President added.

The president said Sri Lanka’s progressive agenda on the environment is being implemented despite resource constraints it faces as a developing nation and pointed out that sustaining such an agenda alongside development programmes is challenging for all developing nations, especially following the pandemic.