District Farmers’ representatives on behalf of 1.1 million farmers across the island, have urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa not to reverse the steps taken to use organic fertilizer, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said today.

The farmers’ representatives have highlighted that it was their absolute duty and responsibility to return to the traditional farming methods and provide the people with a non-toxic healthy diet. They added that citizenry will be grateful to the President for his decision to nourish a healthy next generation for Sri Lanka.

They have assured that all farmers in the country would support President Rajapaksa in overcoming the challenge of going for an agriculture based on organic fertilizer, as a team, for the benefit of all people in Sri Lanka just like the country once faced the challenge of concluding the war against terrorism, the PMD added.

Farmers’ representatives shared these views during a meeting with the District Farmers Representatives of Sri Lanka National Farmers’ Organisation held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (July 01). According to the PMD, the organization comprises 1.1 million farmers, 17,000 farmers organizations and 563 Agrarian Service Centres.

The President has briefed the farmers’ representatives on the measures to be taken by the government to address the use of organic fertilizers.

He has pointed out that this was not a sudden decision and this initiative was launched to fulfil a promise made in his “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” policy statement, as the presidential candidate.

The previous governments, on a number of occasions, had tried to convert into organic agriculture, however, the reasons for their failure would be studied and the new programme will be implemented rectifying those errors, the President said.

Some people try to point this out as a reverse journey, however, the use of organic fertilizers, which is a new trend in the entire world, would take the country on a new path of agrarian economy, he pointed out further.

“Many who speak out against the programme are referring to prices of fruits and vegetables, which are produced using organic fertilizers. But they don’t pay attention to the farmers suffering from the use of chemical fertilizers.”

Cultivation has been largely paralyzed over the past five years, but the policy of the current government is to uplift the agricultural sector, the PMD added. “The increase in the purchase price of paddy from Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 per kilogram is a step taken to encourage farmers. Later, farmers were able to sell their paddy at between Rs. 65 and Rs. 68 per kilo. The government has intervened to control the price of rice to protect consumers,” the press release read further.

The President has spoken of the government’s plans to create an environment where the farmers will be able to receive a sum of Rs. 80,000 million spent annually on the importation of chemical fertilizers, while protecting the future generations from non-communicable diseases.

The President stated that, in order to implement the programme continuously and successfully, the required amount of organic fertilizer including herbicides and pesticides will be made available to the farmers in the same manner the chemical fertilizers were provided. At the same time, local entrepreneurs and industrialists will be given the opportunity to produce the required fertilizer locally. The farmers can also produce the organic fertilizer they need. The government has made plans to provide the funds required for this purpose, the PMD went on to say.
 
The President has assured that the income earned by the farmers will not be reduced and if it does, the government would compensate so the farmer will not have to suffer.
 
During the meeting, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage handed over the “Farmers Insurance Scheme” to the President which was suspended during the previous government and will resume from today, according to the PMD.

The minister also revealed that the government is focusing on increasing the ‘farmer’s pension’. He guaranteed to take immediate steps to construct 105 new warehouses to store paddy, to provide financial assistance to Farmers’ Banks and to update the agricultural database expeditiously.
 
The President has also given the nod to increase the upper limit for contracts for farmers’ organisations from Rs. 2 million to Rs. 10 million for undertaking projects to rehabilitate tanks and canals. It was also decided to expand the scope for direct involvement of farmers when selling harvest at economic centres.
 
State Ministers Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Mohan de Silva, Dr. Seetha Arambepola, Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera and Government Officials including Secretaries to the Ministries have also attended the said meeting.