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Baurs to bring expert team to study Sri Lanka’s agriculture ecosystem

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One of the pioneers in agriculture fertilizer and a leading diversified business group, A. Baur & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd., also known as Baurs, will be bringing down a team of renowned experts from Switzerland to study Sri Lanka’s agriculture ecosystem with the objective of providing scientific and practical solutions to converse into an organic approach.

Scheduled to arrive on August 1, the 10-day visit will include meetings and diverse interactions with all key stakeholders, including visits to sites and facilities that influence organic agriculture. The expert team will also conduct first-hand training in composting and organic farming, the need of the hour.

Soon after Sri Lanka’s decision to ban chemical fertilizers and pesticides, Baurs established dialogue with some of the leading agriculture institutions in the world to gather insights and expertise on best practices and emerging technologies to successfully embrace the challenge.

Baurs teamed up with Switzerland-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL) of Bern University of Applied Sciences, both considered as world leaders in the research and development of organic agriculture. FiBL and HAFL will work together with other local and international organisations with domain knowledge in the subject matter.

Home to some of the leading institutes for organic agriculture, Switzerland has the sixth highest penetration of organic farming in the world, with 16.5% of agriculture land being organic farmland. It also has the second highest per capita consumption of organic food and ranks as the seventh largest organic market globally.

The expert team will bring the best of both worlds. They will not just bring the best academic experience to Sri Lanka but also their significant experience in implementing practical projects across the world with much of it focused on developing economies. The expert team will comprise four very senior members from both FiBL and HAFL.

Dr. Christoph Studer is Professor of Natural Resources Management at HAFL and has worked with international agricultural research centers. He is engaged in various R&D projects and consultancy services.

Dr. Gurbir S Bhullar is a Senior Scientist in Tropical Agroecosystems at HAFL, previously leading the thematic area of ‘Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics’ at FiBL for eight years. He comes from a farming family with a wealth of experience in farming systems research in Asia and Africa.

Dr. Jacques G Fuchs is a senior scientist in plant pathology and soil quality at FiBL and a board member of Swiss Society for Phytiatry. He is also the founder of Biophyt AG, a company specialized in the biological quality of compost, compost utilization and development of compost-based products.

 

 

Paul van den Berge joined FiBL after having managed his own organic farm and is an expert in various fields to include organic horticultural crops, market development, and standard setting. He is a member of the Standards Committee of International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).

Following the comprehensive and cohesive study, the expert team will later develop an integrated plan backed by scientific and professional evidence and expertise to support Sri Lanka’s efforts in embracing organic agriculture.

 

 



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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

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A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.

The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.

The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.

Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.

The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

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The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th)  afternoon  at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.

Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.

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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

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Elon Musk

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”

USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.

Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”

Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.

The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.

Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.

Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.

The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.

Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.

Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

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