Pavithra blames spike in cancer and kidney diseases on toxic agricultural inputs

By Saman Indrajith

Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told Parliament yesterday that 239,000 persons were stricken with cancer and kidney diseases every year owing to the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and weedicide in this country.

Annually 75,000 new cancer patients and new 164,000 kidney patients were diagnosed.

The Health Minister said that 6,000 persons died of chronic kidney diseases every year while 54 persons died daily of various cancers caused by chemical substances used as inputs in agriculture. There is an increasing trend of 30,000 cancer cases being detected annually during the recent years.

Minister Wanniarachchi said that agricultural and health experts and scientists had reported on numerous occasions that the main cause of upsurge of cancer and chronic kidney cases was the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.

Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, making a ministerial statement in Parliament, requested all MPs to promote the use of organic fertilisers in agriculture without politicising the issue.

“This organic fertiliser promotion project should not be politicised. There are enough stocks of fertilisers. We have reports that some traders are hoarding fertiliser. The statistics show that the need for chemical fertiliser has increased by 300 percent, but the problem is that there has been no corresponding increase in the produce output. We have noticed the abuse of chemical fertiliser usage in the country. We’ll solve that problem and supply the required fertilisers for the upcoming Maha Season.”