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Lankan Agriculture at crossroads?

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By Lasitha Duminda

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa undoubtedly would leave a legacy behind three critical decisions he has made.

• Rapid Vaccination carried out and ongoing with one of the world’s best percentage of population covered (As of Oct 6, fully vaccinated is 54.6% and at least one dose is 66.7%) is one.

• Renewable energy drive currently underway to generate as much as 70% of the nation’s power requirement from renewable sources which is another revolution making Sri Lanka a catalyst towards a greener world and putting the name of our country on top of the list of most countries if not all.

• Carbonic agriculture is the third bold initiative taken amidst all odds gaining lot of global praise for the President and Sri Lanka.

There were lot of quarters who wanted to sabotage all above ground breaking initiatives spending lot of time and effort to discredit Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime. It is not a secret that the opposition is not coming simply from the opposition. Currently the one that is at the biggest risk is converting Sri Lanka to organic farming that would pave the way for a healthier nation void of lot of diseases such as chronic kidney complications and cancer.

The threat seems to be not coming only from the chemical fertilizer associated mafia so to say. The amount of negative publicity given in media and the amount of people involved in the sabotage mission clearly suggests that it has become more or less a geopolitical operation.

The Chinese samples are getting rejected leaving lot of gaps in the credibility aspect of such reports to a level the matter getting referred to even the criminal investigation department.

Surprisingly, these reports reach media even before they are ready. Ironically so many different labs both in Sri Lanka and overseas report contradictory results. Sri Lankan authorities that claim the presence of certain harmful bacteria, are not willing to get the legitimate samples attested by independent international laboratories.

Yet another interesting point is the absence of any kind of intervention by the Chinese Diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka letting the people to believe that it is the Chinese that are behind the contamination of fertilizer.

India on the other hand, emerged all of a sudden short circuiting the available procurement process and becoming the favorites of the agencies responsible for the application of organic fertilizer with no knowledge of the public as to how Indian companies entered the procurement process while the contract between the Chinese supplier and the government is still valid.

Public has the right to know as to who is playing what? Who wants to discredit the President and fail him? Is it only the people in the frontline or have they become a cat’s paw for someone else? If so, who is it actually behind this game changer?

If Chinese are innocent, why are they not coming forward to prove their innocence or is someone deliberately blocking that process?

Mr. President, this is worth of your immediate attention as it is the food security of Sri Lanka is at compromise otherwise with the ‘Maha’ season approaching within a matter of few weeks.



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Lanka discovers largest groundwater source

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The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.

Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.

He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.

According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.

The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.

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Lanka’s commercial legacy preserved in National Archives

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CCC Chairperson Krishan Balendra hands over the earliest dated record to National Archives Department Director General Dr. Nadeera Rupesinghe

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has formally handed over its historical records to the National Archives Department, entrusting over a century of the nation’s commercial history to the country’s official custodians of heritage.

The archive, spanning from the CCC’s founding in 1839 to 1973, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, ledgers, and publications that chronicle the development of trade, enterprise, and industry in Sri Lanka. Together, the records provide a rare and detailed account of the island’s economic evolution and the role of its business community in shaping national progress.

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Bodies of 84 Iranian sailors flown home

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The Ministry of Defence said on Friday (13) that arrangements had been made to repatriate to Iran the bodies of 84 sailors who died aboard the IRIS Dena, which sank in the southern seas off Sri Lanka.

A special aircraft carrying the bodies departed from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on Friday, the Ministry said, adding that the repatriation was carried out in coordination with the Embassy of Iran in Sri Lanka.

The remains had been kept in two mobile cold-storage units at the Galle National Hospital before being transported to Mattala by lorry following a court order. Forty-five bodies were moved in the morning, while the remaining 39 were transported later in the day.

Earlier this month, the Iranian naval vessel suffered an incident about 40 nautical miles off Port of Galle while carrying around 180 personnel. Thirty-five rescued sailors were admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, while 84 bodies were subsequently recovered.

Following the incident, Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Iranian vessel had been sunk in international waters by a torpedo fired from a submarine of the United States Navy.

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