By Rathindra Kuruwita

The government was turning a blind eye to a racket where large amounts of agro-chemicals are smuggled into the country via the sea, former NGO activist and provincial Governor Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon alleged yesterday.

He told The Island: “This is being done to convince people that the government’s organic agriculture initiative is working. I have personally seen the effects of some agro-chemicals that have been smuggled into the country. These agro-chemicals are extremely potent and will acidify the soil.”

The government banned the import of agro-chemicals a few months ago, claiming that Sri Lanka would be the first country to go 100% organic. Tennakoon said that he thought it should have been done gradually with the consent of all stakeholders.

“However, the government must immediately stop people smuggling in low quality agro-chemicals from India. These agro-chemicals are freely available in agricultural areas and would have devastating impacts on agriculture, farming and human health. The Ministry of Agriculture, Standards Institute and Office of the Registrar of Pesticides are not doing anything about it,” he said.

Tennakoon said that sub-standard agrochemicals are being smuggled in fishing boats to Mannar, Kattankudi, Trincomalee and Weligama harbours. Some of these agro-chemicals were banned in Sri Lanka a decade ago, he added.

“There is no plan to produce adequate amounts of compost. The government knows this. The government also knows that without adequate agrochemicals the agricultural production will decrease significantly in the coming months. Instead of sitting down with all stakeholders and deciding on the best course of action, the government is turning a blind eye to the issue,” he said.