Is shifting to organic fertilizer unthinkable? - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka is slowly working towards promoting organic fertilizer in its attempt to eliminate chemical fertilizer. That initiative is headed by the country’s President who even went to the extent of including that programme in his election manifesto. 

Sri Lankans are quite slow in dropping the bad and embracing what’s good. That was shown in no uncertain terms during the past 72 years when state finances were plundered by politicians. People were very slow in breaking away from the traditional, party and family-based politics. Now, most of the top state institutes and ministries are overseen by ex-military personnel. This is a major change in the administration of the country. Whether this system, where people who once wore uniforms are in charge now, would produce results can only be seen and confirmed in the future. 

The country’s President, an ex-military man himself, believes ex-forces men can be worthy administrators. The president appointed military men to check the unhealthy developments taking place in the rice mills and to deal with the paddy shortage in the country. That issue was not sorted out and the big mill owners still rule the roost. 
Now we have another problem associated with the vegetable, fruit, other agricultural produce and water we consume. All that is making people sick because chemicals added to the soil are contaminating the water and taxing the people’s kidneys. 

We see on television how farmers are protesting against the inability to use chemical fertilizer. Some of these protests are hardly attracting large crowds and seem to be politically motivated. There was one farmer who appeared on television and showed that the cinnamon he had harvested after using organic fertilizer was sick looking and didn’t weigh heavy like during other past harvests when chemical fertilizer was used. It’s too early to talk about the benefits of using organic fertilizer and very late to start escaping from the negative effects of chemical fertilizer. 

"It’s too early to talk about the benefits of using organic fertilizer and very late to start escaping from the negative effects of chemical fertilizer"

The government must be watchful when importing organic fertilizer. The latest shipment of fertilizer from China was returned because it didn’t meet the specified safety standards. This is a country which once imported petrol that was harmful and below standard; exposing vehicles to great danger. The government had to compensate scores of vehicle owners because the low-quality petrol clogged petrol pumps and stalled machines on the roads. 
There is also news that organic fertilizer would be imported from India. It’s important for the government to think of people’s safety when importing fertilizer from a country like China because fingers are pointed at this nation for engaging in ‘biological warfare’ to boost business interest and enhance its chances of being the superpower in the world. 

The President is engaging farmers with grievances in conversation. Farmers facing problems associated with fertilizer in districts like Badulla and Puttalam have aired their views to the President, according to newspaper reports. 

Getting back to the topic of the country struggling to change what’s bad to the good we have to recall the period when Mahinda Rajapaksa was head of state and his regime gave the fertilizer subsidy to farmers. Back then NGOs and environmentalists voiced their disapproval regarding the use of chemical fertilizer. Now the Rajapaksas are moving on the right path regarding converting to organic fertilizer and attempting to correct an old flaw. The big question is where these NGOs, environmentalists and other vociferous political parties are now? They were the ones who, some years ago, were breathing down the backs of the Rajapaksas for supplying chemical fertilizer to the farmers. Farmers who were complaining of kidney disease themselves are fighting shy to change from the harmful chemical fertilizer to healthy organic fertilizer. Is Sri Lanka a nation that sees moving away from what’s bad to good as something unthinkable?