Fertiliser crisis: Lanka turns to China imports

Coconut, tea, vegetable production at a standstill due to shortage

Sri Lanka has decided to turn to China for import of fertiliser as paddy and other cultivators throughout the country continued to face a crisis of short supplies, senior officials and trade sources said.

National Fertiliser Secretariat Director Mahesh Gammanpila told the

Sunday Times they were turning to China to increase imports as they were looking at fertiliser which would be less harmful to the soil compared to the current imports.

“We are also looking at ways of resolving the current fertilizer crisis within the next two weeks with two shipments due to be cleared this week," he said. Mr Gammanpila explained that though they were looking to import from China, the secretariat would also go ahead with current orders placed with Pakistan and Dubai.

He said they were turning to China as it was supplying fertiliser with less nitrogen content and would be better for the soil.

The fertiliser crisis has been caused by a few complicated issues. They include the failure to pay some of the private importers on schedule by both the former and present government, issues in distributing stocks which are already in hand due to a shortage of labour and short supplies.

Plantation Minister Ramesh

Pathirana told the Sunday Times the ministry would resolve the crisis within the next two weeks.

However, JVP member Namal Karunaratne, who leads farmers organisations, said the government was making contradictory statements at one time claiming it had sufficient stocks and at other times saying it was awaiting shipments.

He said one of the main issues the farmers were facing was the unavailability of the fertiliser at the right time.

“There is a traders' mafia which tell the farmers that if they were buying a particular quantity of urea they also need to buy another fertiliser even if they did not require it. Unfortunately the government has not been able to stop it," he said. The JVP member said that although the fertiliser secretariat was planning to import from China, the quality of the fertiliser should be checked.

Meanwhile, coconut, tea and vegetable cultivators were also affected by the fertiliser shortage.

Farmers said they were set to begin the Yala season, but the delay in arrival of fertiliser had severely affected them.

“The government cannot give the fertiliser when we need. It should be available at the right time. If the government has stocks, it should have made arrangements to distribute them considering it an essential service," H.M. Chandrasiri, a Matale farmer said.