Govt. to probe organic fertilizer blunder during GR’s time

• Scam involving organic fertilizer import from China to be investigated 

By Kelum Bandara

The government will conduct fresh probes into the scams  involved in the import of a stock of biofertilizer from China and in  the introduction of organic farming during the time of former President  Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a minister said yesterday.   

Sri Lanka purchased a shipment of organic fertilizer from  China’s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Ltd in 2021 in the midst of a  crisis in the agriculture sector triggered by the ban imposed by the  Gotabaya Rajapaksa government on chemical farming.  

Later, the Auditor General, in his report, said there was a  dereliction of duty on the part of the Agriculture Ministry, the State  Ministry of Agriculture, Colombo Commercial Fertilizers Ltd and Ceylon  Fertilizer Ltd in this transaction.  

Asked about action against this case, Deputy Agriculture  and Livestock Minister Namal Karunaratne told Daily Mirror that the  transaction would be probed for sure. He said the government now  considering how to proceed with it.  

In addition, he said the then government even spent a colossal amount of money on the failed organic farming project in 2021.  

“That government is reported to have spent Rs.60 billion on the project. We will also probe it,” he said.  

He said the probing mechanism would be decided later.  

“We have handed over thousands of files containing details about frauds in the past. Each will be probed,” he said.   

Sri Lanka banned chemical farming at that time and resorted  to organic farming. However, it led to crop yield reduction  eventually resulting in unrest among farmers.