Features

‘Qingdao organic fertiliser shipment is pathogen free’: How scientifically acceptable is test report?

Published

4 years ago

2022/01/24

Sahan Weerasooriya

by Prof. Devika de Costa

(Chair Professor of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya)

Background

The bulk carrier, Hippo Spirit, carrying an organic fertiliser shipment of 20,000 metric tons manufactured by the Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd., China,started to sail to its destination, Colombo, Sri Lanka, from Qingdao port, China, on the 22 September 2021. Seventy-two days after its departure, on the 04 December 2021, Hippo Spirit left the Sri Lankan waters heading towards Singapore without unloading its shipment of organic fertiliser at the planned destination.

The reason for not allowing the shipment to be unloaded by the Sri Lankan authorities was the detection of the contamination of the organic fertiliser onboard with a plant pathogenic bacterium named Erwinia spp. and another group of bacteria of Bacillus spp., as confirmed twice by the National Plant Quarantine Service, Sri Lanka (NPQS). As per the Plant Protection Act No. 35, 1999 of Sri Lanka, material containing any organism harmful to, or injurious to, or destructive of plants and for the sanitation of plants in Sri Lanka, is not allowed to be imported.

Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd., the supplier, directed the Hippo Spirit, along with the bulk organic fertiliser shipment, to a test laboratory in Singapore, with the intention of getting a sample of the shipment tested for its quality by a third party and to initiate an international arbitration procedure.

The third party testing laboratory that the Qingdao Seawin selected was SGS Testing & Control Services Singapore Pvt. Ltd. (SGS). The reason for obtaining the services of a third party for the testing procedure was to support the allegations made by Qingdao Seawin against the NPQS. Qingdao Seawin denied the fact that their shipment was contaminated with the bacterium Erwinia, emphasising that NPQS had not conducted the test procedures scientifically and had not followed standard methodologies adopted by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Accordingly, a sample of the organic fertiliser shipment in Hippo Spirit was submitted to the SGS laboratory for testing its microbial quality on the 13 December 2021. At the SGS laboratory, this sample was tested to detect the presence of a specific group of bacteria, according to a standard test procedure, and the test results were released on 20 December 2021.

SGS test report Figure 1

shows an image of the test report released by the SGS laboratory on the 20 December 2021. According to the report, the submitted sample was tested by two standard methods, namely ISO 21528-1 (2017) and ISO 21528-2 (2017), to detect bacteria belonging to the Family Enterobacteriaceae, a sub-group within the large taxonomic group of bacteria.

The testing period of the sample has been reported as seven days from the 13th to the 20 December 2021. Results released by the SGS laboratory reveal that bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae have not been detected in the sample subjected to the above two testing procedures.

(see Figure 1: The SGS test report)

What are Enterobacteriaceae bacteria?

Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of bacteria consisting of 53 bacterial genera (Reference No. 1). According to ‘Gram Staining’, the standard staining technique used in bacteriology for initial categorisation of bacteria, the bacteria belonging to this Enterobacteriaceae are classified as ‘Gram negative’. A majority of the bacterial genera belonging to this family are inhabitants of the human and animal intestine. Such bacteria are termed as ‘enteric bacteria’. In addition to the enteric bacteria, some of the genera belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae live in natural environments such as soil and water.

There are some bacterial genera of this family, which are pathogenic (i.e. having the ability to cause diseases) to plants and animals. Most of the bacterial members of this family grow well at a temperature of 37 oC but there are some bacteria that show a better growth at a temperature range of 25 – 30 oC. Therefore, it is clear that within the same bacterial family, there are different bacterial genera and species with different physical, nutritional and functional characteristics. It is equivalent to siblings of a given family having differences in terms of their external morphological features, behaviour, attitudes, performances, working efficiency, etc.

Scientific basis of the test protocol to determine the quality of the sample

ISO 21528-1 (2017) and ISO 21528-2 (2017) are recommended test protocols to detect the presence of bacteria belonging to the Family Enterobacteriaceae in food samples used for human/animal consumption or to test the environmental samples used for primary food production, food production and food handling. Using the above test protocols it is possible to detect the presence of ‘culturable bacteria’ (i.e. bacteria which are capable of growing on synthetic culture media) belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae. This means that the selected test protocols are suitable for detecting only a limited, focused group of bacteria and that these specific test protocols have not targeted the detection of all types of bacteria. The specificity of this test protocol to target only the culturable type bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family has been achieved through the specific synthetic culture medium used in the protocol. The culture medium used here is called the ‘Violet Red Bile Glucose Agar medium (VRBGA)’. Microbiologically, the culture media which specifically target a particular group of bacteria or microorganisms are termed ‘selective media’. Such selective media favour the growth of a particular group of microorganisms while suppressing the growth of all other types.

Selectivity of the VRBGA medium is determined by the ingredients used when preparing it. For example, the chemical stain called crystal violet and bile salts are used when preparing the VRBGA medium and both these chemical ingredients suppress the growth of Gram positive type bacteria. Moreover, the bile salts used in this medium encourages the growth of bacteria that are resistant to bile salts. In other words, only the bacteria which are not destroyed by the action of bile salts will grow on the VRBGA medium.

On the other hand, the bacteria which cannot tolerate bile salts will not grow on this selective medium even if they are present in the test sample.

Enteric bacteria naturally inhabit in an environment containing bile salts (i.e. the gut of animals and humans) and consequently are usually resistant to bile salts. Therefore, growth of such bacteria will not be suppressed when a test sample is allowed to grow on the VRBGA medium. However, non-enteric bacteria usually live in environments such as soil or plant tissue, and therefore, have no exposure to bile salts. Accordingly, they are not accustomed to grow in an environment containing bile salts. As a consequence, the growth of non-enteric bacteria is suppressed on the VRBGA medium. Therefore, it is clear that a test protocol using the VRBGA medium is not appropriate to test the presence of microorganisms or bacteria in a test sample of plant origin such as the organic fertilizer consignment from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd. More importantly, this renders the conclusion by the SGS test report invalid.

Erwinia spp. grow naturally in plant tissues which have no bile salts in them. Thus it is a group of non-enteric bacteria. As explained above, the growth of such non-enteric bacteria is heavily suppressed on the VRBGA medium. According to the results of the publication given as Reference Number 2, the VRBGA medium has been identified as a medium which underestimates the presence of plant bacteria such as Erwinia, despite Erwinia being a member of the Family Enterobacteriaceae. Therefore, it should be clear that even if bacteria belonging to Erwinia spp. had been present in the tested organic fertilizer sample from Qingdao, there was a very high probability for them not being able to develop colonies on the VRBGA medium. Thus, the conclusion that the sample is free from Erwinia is erroneous and inconclusive.

Scientific reasons for not agreeing with the conclusions made by the SGS report

The SGS report concludes that based on ISO 21528-1 (2017) and ISO 21528-2 (2017) test protocols, the sample does not contain bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae, and therefore, the sample is free from Erwinia as well. Based on the above test report, news reports were released through public media (Daily News, 24th of December 2021 and News First, 22nd of December 2021) saying that the organic fertiliser shipment was free from plant, animal and human pathogens including Erwinia.

Given below are the scientific reasons to emphasise that the conclusion drawn is erroneous:

(a) Because of the highly selective nature of the VRBGA medium, all bacteria in the Enterobacteriaceae family will not develop colonies on it when the sample is tested by the above ISO procedures. Accordingly, Non-enteric bacteria and bacteria which are usual inhabitants of bile salt-free environments, and hence are not resistant to the effect of bile salts will not develop on the culture medium even if they are present in the test sample. Therefore, it is erroneous to conclude that the sample is free from Erwinia;

(b)

As a selective medium, VRBGA targets the detection of bacteria belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family only. This medium suppresses the growth of all Gram positive type bacteria and other non-Enterobacteriaceae bacteria. There are many plant, animal and human pathogenic bacteria which belong to many other taxonomic families (i.e. other than Enterobacteriaceae/non-Enterobacteriaceae). Therefore, based on this test report, it is not possible to conclude that the sample is free from plant, animal and human pathogens from taxonomic families other than Enterobacteriaceae;

(c)

In giving their conclusion, the SGS report assumes that Erwinia belongs to the family Entereobacteriaceae. However, according to the most recent taxonomic classification of bacteria as given in Reference No. 3, the genus Erwinia is no longer a member of the Family Enterobacteriaceae. Accordingly, Erwinia genus is now included in a separate family named Erwiniaceae. This recent taxonomic classification is based on molecular biological methods of bacteria identification. In contrast, the previous classification, under which the genus Erwinia had been classified within the Family Enterobacteriaceae, was based on morphological and biochemical features of bacteria. It is widely acknowledged that molecular biological methods of bacteria identification are superior to methods based on morphological and biochemical features. This is equivalent to identifying a person by his/her genetic make-up as opposed to his/her external features and performance.

Organisms/microorganisms belonging to different taxonomic strata have unique behaviours and unique characteristics. These specific behaviours and features should be considered carefully when selecting appropriate methods for detecting microorganisms. Inappropriate selection of detection methodology leaves a very high possibility for a majority of microorganisms passing undetected, leading to erroneous conclusions about test samples.

If the fertiliser supplying company had the intention of clearing its good name that the shipment was free from Erwinia, the most appropriate methodology was to use specific, standard microbiological methods that are available to specifically detect the genus Erwinia or selected species of Erwinia. Or, the most logical and scientific approach should have been to test the sample for the presence of any culturable microorganism (using a standard microbiological technique suitable for this purpose) and if microorganisms were detected, to confirm their identity for genus Erwinia or species of Erwinia, subsequently. Instead what has been attempted through the test procedures that have been adopted by the SGS laboratory in Singapore was to try to convince the absence of Erwinia in an indirect way using a less sensitive and highly selective method targeting a particular group of bacteria with a questionable approach.

According to ISO 21528-1 (2017) and ISO 21528-2 (2017) test procedures, there is no specific guideline on the way of sampling. It is stated that the sampling is done on a case-specific way (if standard procedures are available for a given sampling material) and when such standards are not available, it is done via mutual agreement of the relevant parties.

According to the SGS report, the sample submitted for testing (Figure 2) is a parcel with approximate dimensions of 30 cm x 15 cm. The content within it could be estimated to be about 500 – 1000 g. It is highly questionable whether the amount of fertiliser sample submitted for testing was truly representative of the whole bulk of the 20,000 metric ton shipment. Furthermore, the number of samples submitted for testing seems to be only one, which is also not a sufficient number to represent the bulk of the shipment. There are widely-accepted sampling protocols that should have been used to obtain a series of representative samples. In scientific research, results based on a single sample are rarely, if ever, accepted as valid.

(See Figure 2: The sample used for testing as shown in the SGS test report)

ISO 21528-1 (2017) and ISO 21528-2 (2017) test procedures emphasise that the samples used for testing should be a proper representation of the bulk. In addition they provide clear guidelines on the quality of the sample at the time of its submission for testing. Accordingly, the sample should not have been damaged or changed during transport and storage. It is highly doubtful if the latter requirement could have been fulfilled from a shipment that had been stored in a bulk carrier for more than three months. Therefore, the validity/accuracy of the test results is questionable as the results do not reflect the initial quality/status of the shipment.

Based on above questionable/doubtful test procedures, it is not possible to conclude that the organic fertiliser sample tested by the SGS laboratory is free from plant, animal and human pathogens including Erwinia. The biggest concern arising from the conclusions of this nature is their negative impact on policy decisions and thereby the potential catastrophes that could be encountered by the nation as a whole. For example, the potential disease damage to a wide range of crops grown in Sri Lanka that could be caused by application of an organic fertiliser containing a plant pathogen such as Erwinia is enormous and could last for a very long period, incurring billions of rupees. Similarly, diseases to plants, animals and humans that could be caused by the wide range of microorganisms that are not detected by these highly-selective test protocols adopted by the SGS could lead to substantial economic and environmental damage along with human health hazards. These could take several years and several billions of rupees to be brought under control.

The meek response of the Sri Lankan authorities to the legal challenge of Qingdao based on the erroneous and questionable SGS test report from Singapore demonstrates their readiness to accept anything coming from an international agency while ignoring the scientifically-valid tests and conclusions of the Sri Lankan scientists. This sends a very negative detrimental signal to the national scientific community and to the nation as a whole.

References:

1. UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations: Identification of Enterobacteriaceae (2013), Issued by the Standards Unit, Microbiology Services, Public Health England, 32 pp.

2. Baruzzi, F., Cefola, M., Carito, A., Vanadia, S. and Calabrese, N., (2012). Changes in bacterial composition of zucchini flowers exposed to refrigeration temperatures. The Scientific World Journal, https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/127805, 6 pp.

3. Adeolu, M., Alnajar, S., Naushad, S. and Gupta, R.S., (2016). Genome-based phylogeny and taxonomy of the ‘Enterobacteriales’: proposal for Enterobacterales ord. nov. divided into the families Enterobacteriaceae, Erwiniaceae fam. nov., Pectobacteriaceae fam. nov., Yersiniaceae fam. nov., Hafniaceae fam. nov., Morganellaceae fam. nov., and Budviciaceae fam. nov. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 66(12), 5575-5599.

All News Advertisement

Features

Misinterpreting President Dissanayake on National Reconciliation

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

President Dissanayake

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has been investing his political capital in going to the public to explain some of the most politically sensitive and controversial issues. At a time when easier political choices are available, the president is choosing the harder path of confronting ethnic suspicion and communal fears. There are three issues in particular on which the president’s words have generated strong reactions. These are first with regard to Buddhist pilgrims going to the north of the country with nationalist motivations. Second is the controversy relating to the expansion of the Tissa Raja Maha Viharaya, a recently constructed Buddhist temple in Kankesanturai which has become a flashpoint between local Tamil residents and Sinhala nationalist groups. Third is the decision not to give the war victory a central place in the Independence Day celebrations.

Even in the opposition, when his party held only three seats in parliament, Anura Kumara Dissanayake took his role as a public educator seriously. He used to deliver lengthy, well researched and easily digestible speeches in parliament. He continues this practice as president. It can be seen that his statements are primarily meant to elevate the thinking of the people and not to win votes the easy way. The easy way to win votes whether in Sri Lanka or elsewhere in the world is to rouse nationalist and racist sentiments and ride that wave. Sri Lanka’s post independence political history shows that narrow ethnic mobilisation has often produced short term electoral gains but long term national damage.

Sections of the opposition and segments of the general public have been critical of the president for taking these positions. They have claimed that the president is taking these positions in order to obtain more Tamil votes or to appease minority communities. The same may be said in reverse of those others who take contrary positions that they seek the Sinhala votes. These political actors who thrive on nationalist mobilisation have attempted to portray the president’s statements as an abandonment of the majority community. The president’s actions need to be understood within the larger framework of national reconciliation and long term national stability.

Reconciler’s Duty

When the president referred to Buddhist pilgrims from the south going to the north, he was not speaking about pilgrims visiting long established Buddhist heritage sites such as Nagadeepa or Kandarodai. His remarks were directed at a specific and highly contentious development, the recently built Buddhist temple in Kankesanturai and those built elsewhere in the recent past in the north and east. The temple in Kankesanturai did not emerge from the religious needs of a local Buddhist community as there is none in that area. It has been constructed on land that was formerly owned and used by Tamil civilians and which came under military occupation as a high security zone. What has made the issue of the temple particularly controversial is that it was established with the support of the security forces.

The controversy has deepened because the temple authorities have sought to expand the site from approximately one acre to nearly fourteen acres on the basis that there was a historic Buddhist temple in that area up to the colonial period. However, the Tamil residents of the area fear that expansion would further displace surrounding residents and consolidate a permanent Buddhist religious presence in the present period in an area where the local population is overwhelmingly Hindu. For many Tamils in Kankesanturai, the issue is not Buddhism as a religion but the use of religion as a vehicle for territorial assertion and demographic changes in a region that bore the brunt of the war. Likewise, there are other parts of the north and east where other temples or places of worship have been established by the military personnel in their camps during their war-time occupation and questions arise regarding the future when these camps are finally closed.

There are those who have actively organised large scale pilgrimages from the south to make the Tissa temple another important religious site. These pilgrimages are framed publicly as acts of devotion but are widely perceived locally as demonstrations of dominance. Each such visit heightens tension, provokes protest by Tamil residents, and risks confrontation. For communities that experienced mass displacement, military occupation and land loss, the symbolism of a state backed religious structure on contested land with the backing of the security forces is impossible to separate from memories of war and destruction. A president committed to reconciliation cannot remain silent in the face of such provocations, however uncomfortable it may be to challenge sections of the majority community.

High-minded leadership

The controversy regarding the president’s Independence Day speech has also generated strong debate. In that speech the president did not refer to the military victory over the LTTE and also did not use the term “war heroes” to describe soldiers. For many Sinhala nationalist groups, the absence of these references was seen as an attempt to diminish the sacrifices of the armed forces. The reality is that Independence Day means very different things to different communities. In the north and east the same day is marked by protest events and mourning and as a “Black Day”, symbolising the consolidation of a state they continue to experience as excluding them and not empathizing with the full extent of their losses.

By way of contrast, the president’s objective was to ensure that Independence Day could be observed as a day that belonged to all communities in the country. It is not correct to assume that the president takes these positions in order to appease minorities or secure electoral advantage. The president is only one year into his term and does not need to take politically risky positions for short term electoral gains. Indeed, the positions he has taken involve confronting powerful nationalist political forces that can mobilise significant opposition. He risks losing majority support for his statements. This itself indicates that the motivation is not electoral calculation.

President Dissanayake has recognized that Sri Lanka’s long term political stability and economic recovery depend on building trust among communities that once peacefully coexisted and then lived through decades of war. Political leadership is ultimately tested by the willingness to say what is necessary rather than what is politically expedient. The president’s recent interventions demonstrate rare national leadership and constitute an attempt to shift public discourse away from ethnic triumphalism and toward a more inclusive conception of nationhood. Reconciliation cannot take root if national ceremonies reinforce the perception of victory for one community and defeat for another especially in an internal conflict.

BY Jehan Perera

Features

Recovery of LTTE weapons

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sri Lanka Navy in action

I have read a newspaper report that the Special Task Force of Sri Lanka Police, with help of Military Intelligence, recovered three buried yet well-preserved 84mm Carl Gustaf recoilless rocket launchers used by the LTTE, in the Kudumbimalai area, Batticaloa.

These deadly weapons were used by the LTTE SEA TIGER WING to attack the Sri Lanka Navy ships and craft in 1990s. The first incident was in February 1997, off Iranativu island, in the Gulf of Mannar.

Admiral Cecil Tissera took over as Commander of the Navy on 27 January, 1997, from Admiral Mohan Samarasekara.

The fight against the LTTE was intensified from 1996 and the SLN was using her Vanguard of the Navy, Fast Attack Craft Squadron, to destroy the LTTE’s littoral fighting capabilities. Frequent confrontations against the LTTE Sea Tiger boats were reported off Mullaitivu, Point Pedro and Velvetiturai areas, where SLN units became victorious in most of these sea battles, except in a few incidents where the SLN lost Fast Attack Craft.

Carl Gustaf recoilless rocket launchers

The intelligence reports confirmed that the LTTE Sea Tigers was using new recoilless rocket launchers against aluminium-hull FACs, and they were deadly at close quarter sea battles, but the exact type of this weapon was not disclosed.

The following incident, which occurred in February 1997, helped confirm the weapon was Carl Gustaf 84 mm Recoilless gun!

DATE: 09TH FEBRUARY, 1997, morning 0600 hrs.

LOCATION: OFF IRANATHIVE.

FACs: P 460 ISRAEL BUILT, COMMANDED BY CDR MANOJ JAYESOORIYA

P 452 CDL BUILT, COMMANDED BY LCDR PM WICKRAMASINGHE (ON TEMPORARY COMMAND. PROPER OIC LCDR N HEENATIGALA)

OPERATED FROM KKS.

CONFRONTED WITH LTTE ATTACK CRAFT POWERED WITH FOUR 250 HP OUT BOARD MOTORS.

TARGET WAS DESTROYED AND ONE LTTE MEMBER WAS CAPTURED.

LEADING MARINE ENGINEERING MECHANIC OF THE FAC CAME UP TO THE BRIDGE CARRYING A PROJECTILE WHICH WAS FIRED BY THE LTTE BOAT, DURING CONFRONTATION, WHICH PENETRATED THROUGH THE FAC’s HULL, AND ENTERED THE OICs CABIN (BETWEEN THE TWO BUNKS) AND HIT THE AUXILIARY ENGINE ROOM DOOR AND HAD FALLEN DOWN WITHOUT EXPLODING. THE ENGINE ROOM DOOR WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED LOOSING THE WATER TIGHT INTEGRITY OF THE FAC.

THE PROJECTILE WAS LATER HANDED OVER TO THE NAVAL WEAPONS EXPERTS WHEN THE FACs RETURNED TO KKS. INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED THE WEAPON USED BY THE ENEMY WAS 84 mm CARL GUSTAF SHOULDER-FIRED RECOILLESS GUN AND THIS PROJECTILE WAS AN ILLUMINATER BOMB OF ONE MILLION CANDLE POWER. BUT THE ATTACKERS HAS FAILED TO REMOVE THE SAFETY PIN, THEREFORE THE BOMB WAS NOT ACTIVATED.

Sea Tigers

Carl Gustaf 84 mm recoilless gun was named after Carl Gustaf Stads Gevärsfaktori, which, initially, produced it. Sweden later developed the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless gun by the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration during the second half of 1940s as a crew served man- portable infantry support gun for close range multi-role anti-armour, anti-personnel, battle field illumination, smoke screening and marking fire.

It is confirmed in Wikipedia that Carl Gustaf Recoilless shoulder-fired guns were used by the only non-state actor in the world – the LTTE – during the final Eelam War.

It is extremely important to check the batch numbers of the recently recovered three launchers to find out where they were produced and other details like how they ended up in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka?

By Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne
WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI (M) (Pakistan), ndc, psn, Bsc (Hons) (War Studies) (Karachi) MPhil (Madras)
Former Navy Commander and Former Chief of Defence Staff
Former Chairman, Trincomalee Petroleum Terminals Ltd
Former Managing Director Ceylon Petroleum Corporation
Former High Commissioner to Pakistan

Features

Yellow Beatz … a style similar to K-pop!

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/10

Sahan Weerasooriya

Yes, get ready to vibe with Yellow Beatz, Sri Lanka’s awesome girl group, keen to take Sri Lankan music to the world with a style similar to K-pop!

With high-energy beats and infectious hooks, these talented ladies are here to shake up the music scene.

Think bold moves, catchy hooks, and, of course, spicy versions of old Sinhala hits, and Yellow Beatz is the package you won’t want to miss!

According to a spokesman for the group, Yellow Beatz became a reality during the Covid period … when everyone was stuck at home, in lockdown.

“First we interviewed girls, online, and selected a team that blended well, as four voices, and then started rehearsals. One of the cover songs we recorded, during those early rehearsals, unexpectedly went viral on Facebook. From that moment onward, we continued doing cover songs, and we received a huge response. Through that, we were able to bring back some beautiful Sri Lankan musical creations that were being forgotten, and introduce them to the new generation.”

The team members, I am told, have strong musical skills and with proper training their goal is to become a vocal group recognised around the world.

Believe me, their goal, they say, is not only to take Sri Lanka’s name forward, in the music scene, but to bring home a Grammy Award, as well.

“We truly believe we can achieve this with the love and support of everyone in Sri Lanka.”

The year 2026 is very special for Yellow Beatz as they have received an exceptional opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at the World Championships of Performing Arts in the USA.

Under the guidance of Chris Raththara, the Director for Sri Lanka, and with the blessings of all Sri Lankans, the girls have a great hope that they can win this milestone.

“We believe this will be a moment of great value for us as Yellow Beatz, and also for all Sri Lankans, and it will be an important inspiration for the future of our country.”

Along with all the preparation for the event in the USA, they went on to say they also need to manage their performances, original song recordings, and everything related.

The year 2026 is very special for Yellow Beatz

“We have strong confidence in ourselves and in our sincere intentions, because we are a team that studies music deeply, researches within the field, and works to take the uniqueness of Sri Lankan identity to the world.”

At present, they gather at the Voices Lab Academy, twice a week, for new creations and concert rehearsals.

This project was created by Buddhika Dayarathne who is currently working as a Pop Vocal lecturer at SLTC Campus. Voice Lab Academy is also his own private music academy and Yellow Beatz was formed through that platform.

Buddhika is keen to take Sri Lankan music to the world with a style similar to K-Pop and Yellow Beatz began as a result of that vision. With that same aim, we all work together as one team.

“Although it was a little challenging for the four of us girls to work together at first, we have united for our goal and continue to work very flexibly and with dedication. Our parents and families also give their continuous blessings and support for this project,” Rameesha, Dinushi, Newansa and Risuri said.

Last year, Yellow Beatz released their first original song, ‘Ihirila’ , and with everything happening this year, they are also preparing for their first album.