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Dr. Godahewa admits undue haste in banning agrochemicals caused irreparable damage
‘We created this problem on our own’
State Minister Dr. Nalaka Godahewa says the government had caused a wholly unnecessary problem by trying to do away with agrochemicals overnight. Speaking at a meeting at Biyagama, Dr. Godahewa said that their original plan had been to shift from agro-chemicals to carbonic fertiliser over a period of 10 years. However, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had ordered the process to be telescoped into five years, but the project had gone pear-shaped due to someone’s decision to issue a gazette banning the import of agrochemicals.
Dr. Godahewa said that he believed the President had not ordered the issuance of that particular gazette but whoever who did it had caused irreparable damage.
Gazettes teeming with mistakes had been issued and the Finance Committee in Parliament had raised this issue with relevant officials, he pointed out.
The State Minister lamented that the fertilizer crisis was one of the problems caused by the government itself. (SF)