Farmers express concern about the availability of chemical fertilizers

Farmers’ organizations in Sri Lanka are lamenting that so far no fertilizers have been made available for free or for cash although the government has promised to provide them with chemical fertilizers as soon as possible.

For the farmers of Sri Lanka, their problems began in April last year when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa implemented a sudden ban on chemical fertilizers, switching to organic farming.

Throughout the past few months, farmers have staged protest marches across the country, calling for a resumption of chemical fertilizer imports. They have also demanded that their crop damages, particularly those caused to paddy cultivations, due to the fertilizer issue, be compensated.

The mass protests forced Sri Lankan President to regret the decision to ban chemical fertilizers in 2020, which resulted in a massive drop in food production. The president termed his ban decision a mistake and that corrective steps were being taken now.

Experts noted that the lack of chemical fertilizers had a huge impact on crops, especially corn, which is highly affected by the growth of weeds. The farmers of Sri Lanka are now turning into laborers due to failed policies of the government.

Two million farmers in Sri Lanka were left in misery with no help. Reportedly, domestic rice production was reduced by more than 20 percent. Fertilizer prices have gone up by seven-folds, and farmers no longer receive subsidies. A 50kg of fertilizer was 6000 rupees in the past. Now it is over 45,000 rupees.