Farmers resist call to wean off fertilisers and return to nature
Farmers are resisting calls from the Government to reduce their reliance on pesticides and fertilisers by using compost and cultivating local varieties of paddy, saying this was impractical.
They are complaining that their newly-sprouting crops are malnourished due to insufficient supplies of fertiliser, especially the free quota supplied by the government.
Mahinda Ranaweera, 46, who grows rice and vegetables in Minneriya, described how the farmers’ association in Minneriya met with disappointment when members went to the local agrarian centre to claim their supply of free fertiliser and seedstock.
“Even though they issued fertiliser they cut down the amount,” he said. “They only gave us 10kg of fertiliser for paddy, 80kg of urea and 20kg of potassium per acre.”
The farmers had to try to purchase the rest of the fertiliser they needed from shops but found that most shops were closed.
Farmer Nalin Priyantha We era sing he from Hingurangoda said the government had advised growers to use compost instead of fertiliser and to cultivate native varieties of paddy.
“The government down free fertiliser and advised us to cultivate crops using compost in future but that is impractical as we need time to create compost,” he said. Some farmers would have to create compost to feed 10-20 acres.
Mr. Weerasinghe said farmers were used to imported hybrid seedstock that was bred to be hardy while the local varieties were susceptible to disease.
He said farmers did not know enough about the local varieties and needed instruction from government about suitable cultivation methods.
All-Island Farmers Federation (AIFF) head Namal Karunaratne said farmers agreed with the call for carbon-free fertiliser and compost for crops but the government’s move was impractical.
He also said while free fertiliser was coming through to paddy farmers, vegetable farmers had none and were having to buy their stocks, paying Rs. 1,200 for 50kg bag although the normal price was Rs.1,000.
He also accused some fertiliser merchants and companies of mixing and rebranding fertiliser varieties to make a profit.
The Registrar of Pesticides, Dr. J.A. Sumith, said pesticides were in short supply because the countries that supply fertiliser, primarily China, India and Indonesia, had halted production due to the coronavirus crisis. Up to 90 per cent of herbicides were imported.
“Due to lack of imports the farmers only have 60 per cent of the pesticides required. Therefore in future the farmers have to move towards using natural resources and locally-manufactured pesticides,” Dr. Sumith said.
He said shortages and closure of shops due to low stocks and curfew had caused a black market in pesticides.
He said he had instructed regional officers to take action against blackmarketeers and to increase supplies of government-issued fertiliser.
Agriculture Ministry Secretary Neel Bandara Hapuhinna said although there was a shortage the government was taking every measure to distribute fertiliser.
He admitted there had been delays in sending stocks to some areas and that others had received nothing yet, saying the curfew blocked the availability of labour to unload, load and distribute fertiliser imports.
He said the Agriculture Department was trying to distribute seeds, fertiliser and pesticides directly to farmers in an effort to circumvent blackmarketeers.