News

Plantation expert slams ‘politicisation of science’ by two administrations

Published

5 years ago

2021/11/11

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Science was a major casualty in two key agricultural policy decisions made by the previous Yahapalana and the current governments, which on both occasions brought disastrous consequences to the agriculture sector, says Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, Managing Director of the Plantation Sector of Hayleys PLC which comprise Kelani Valley Plantations, Talawakelle Tea Estates and Horana Plantations recently.

Issuing a press statement, he slammed the previous Yahapalana government’s suspension of glyphosate imports and the current government’s decision to ban the import and the use of synthetic fertilisers with a sudden passion for transforming Sri Lanka into a nation with 100% organic agriculture.

Citing the fate of Prof. Buddhi Marambe, he said: “The nation’s best agricultural experts are being ignored or sidelined and silenced because Marambe had simply stated scientific facts regarding the current agro-chemical ban. Marambe had been consistent in doing so when the occasion demanded; he had previously spoken up against the Yahapalana government’s disastrous decision to suspend glyphosate imports.”

“Suspension on glyphosate imports was a policy decision, which resulted in the rejection of Sri Lankan tea exports as a result of issues with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), and caused the permanent loss of extremely high value markets in Japan, and it proved costly: all without a single shred of scientific evidence being considered to assess the lasting damage it would have caused. As a result, the government of the day was compelled to back-pedal its decision, but not without irreversible damage being done,” he claimed.

Referring to the chemical fertiliser ban imposed by the current government, he said “Without any prior planning or notice, our entire sector has been coerced into blindly participating in the most unscientific experiment ever attempted in Sri Lanka’s history. Now we are all left to anticipate what the implications of an immediate, nation-wide halt to all established and essential best practices relating to plant nutrition, pest, fungus and weeds would be.”

“Almost seven months from the current government’s initial decision to ban the import and use of synthetic fertilizers and as at today, Sri Lanka’s entire agriculture and plantation economy is still frantically in search of any viable option to mitigate the threat of declining yields.” he said.

“We are told that arrangements are being made to import organic fertiliser from various, untested sources, and agreements are minted to produce organic fertiliser locally, much akin to attempting to fix the engine troubles on an airplane while it is in flight. Nevertheless, the inconvenient truth is at present, all supplies of ‘organic’ and inorganic fertiliser are in short supply.”

“Stocks which are available, have increased in price owing to supply-demand imbalances, disrupted supply chains and unprecedented increases in landed costs. Such escalating payments are making Sri Lankan tea’s already high cost of production (COP) even higher, which is placing Sri Lankan plantations under further stress. This is happening just a few months after an increase in worker wages was thrust through the Wages Board.”

” With the end of the year approaching, and the window for fertilising crops closing, it appears that the industry will be locked into at least one – if not more – growth cycles without basic nutrients of Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus, and with no ability to control pests and weeds. Without immediate solutions, the broad consensus among those with expertise is that we could see exponentially worse crop losses starting from the end of 2021, hitting approximately 40% by next year.”

“If RPCs had disregarded agronomic practices and norms in such a manner on their own volition, it would have been called ‘criminal mismanagement’. With agricultural best practices now being roundly ignored in favour of a largely undefined and unplanned strategy for transforming Sri Lanka into a nation with “100% organic agriculture”, this historic, and intentionally misinformed self-sabotage is being repackaged as visionary and progressive. Regardless of short-term political expediency, reality has a way of asserting itself,” he said.

Referring to the negative impact on employment, he said, “Spread across 14 districts, the tea industry alone provides direct employment to over 600,000 people engaged in cultivation and processing and indirect employment to a further 200,000 involved in the supply chain. The sector provides complete livelihood support for a resident population of one million in Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and 450,000 tea smallholders with one million dependents, hence supporting a total population of nearly 2.5 million.”

“When considering both employment and livelihood generation, it is estimated that the industry sustains more than 10% of our national population and its net foreign exchange earnings are only second to the garment industry.”

“Even if “organic” fertilliser is made available, there are still serious concerns as to whether it can provide sufficient nutrients. Hence, it appears that the writing is on the wall. With insufficient nutrients as a result of the unplanned push for organic, we anticipate a series of cascading failures stemming from a collapse in productivity. No amount of rhetoric will be able to turn back the tide of negative repercussions of such developments.”

“The only measure that could at least temporarily mitigate this dynamic is the implementation of productivity linked wages. This is a model which has the support of all RPCs, and which has been widely practiced with tremendous success by tea smallholders.”

“If there’s any resistance to it, that’s not from workers who have experience with productivity linked wages, but from Trade Unions who would lose their relevance if such models were implemented. Under the proposals made by RPCs workers could earn between Rs. 37,000 and Rs 62,000 and the model would enable workers to choose flexi-hours. Given the labour shortages prevalent across the entire tea industry, such a move would at long last incentivize workers effectively, and reward them for achieving their full individual potential, thereby significantly optimising labour productivity.

“However, without a scientific resolution to the fertiliser crisis, wage reforms can only serve as a stop gap measure. As land productivity drops, RPCs, state plantations and smallholders alike will be forced to reduce the amount of work offered, leading to a continuous decrease in worker earnings,” he said.

Dr. Roshan Rajadurai was also a former chairman of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon with 36 years of experience in the plantation sector.

All News Advertisement

News

Theft of USD 2.5 mn from Treasury: CoPF accused of complicity in NPP cover-up

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/15

Thilina Walpola

Harsha rejects what he called frivolous accusations

Chairman of Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) Dr. Harsha de Silva dismissed Free Lawyers’ claim that his Committee had helped delay a proper investigation into the theft of USD 2.5 mn (nearly Rs 1 bn) from the Treasury.

The Colombo District SJB MP said that he wouldn’t comment on frivolous accusations against his Committee. “We conduct ourselves in keeping with the highest standards of professionalism and responsibility.”

Dr. de Silva said so when The Island raised the Free Lawyers’ allegation that the Treasury and the Central Bank were using the CoPF as a tool to prolong investigations into the unprecedented theft of funds. Free Lawyers targeted the CoPF in a statement issued by Maithri Gunaratne, PC, and civil society activist Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon.

The other members of the CoPF are Harshana Rajakaruna (SJB), Ravi Karunanayake (NDF), Nimal Palihena (NPP), Wijesiri Basnayake (NPP), Thilina Samarakoon (NPP), Lakmali Hemachandra (NPP), Chathuranga Abeysinghe (NPP), Kaushalya Ariyaratne (NPP), Akram Ilyas (NPP), Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanikkyam (ITAK), Champika Hettiarachchi (NPP), Sunil Rajapaksha (NPP),

M. K. M. Aslam (NPP), Ajith Agalakada (NPP), Rauff Hakeem (SLMC), Chitral Fernando (SJB) and Nishantha Jayaweera (NPP).

Tennakoon said the theft of funds happened over eight months ago and the Parliament owed the country a clear explanation regarding the disappearance of USD 2.5 mn. The CoPF, instead of expediting the process, has conveniently granted time for those responsible for the loss to cover up their tracks. “Free Lawyers pursue the issue at hand vigorously as we were the first to reveal the loss of USD 2.5 mn. Those who knew it remained silent until our disclosure,” he said, alleging that Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne was yet to respond to their letter regarding the USD 2.5 theft.

Responding to queries, Tennakoon said that political parties represented in the CoPF should be held responsible for the developing situation. “The Committee on Public Accounts Committee (CoPA) headed by SJB MP Kabir Hashim too, should explain its failure to deal with the USD 2.5 mn theft. Both CoPF and CoPA led by two SJB MPs should act now. Dr. de Silva and Hashim are answerable to the public, particularly because they represent the main Opposition.”

The CoPA consists of Kabir Hashim, Maj. Gen. Aruna Jayasekera (NPP), Sugath Thilakaratne (NPP), Anton Jayakody (NPP), Chandana Sooriyaarachchi (NPP), Ruwanthilaka Jayakody (NPP), Nalin Hewage (NPP), Oshani Umanga (NPP), Manjula Suraweera (NPP), Sagarika Athauda (NPP), Janaka Senarathna (NPP), K.Illankumaran (NPP), Dinidu Saman Henanayake (NPP), Susantha Kumara Navaratna (NPP), Lal Premanath (NPP), Aravinda Senarath (NPP), Thushari Jayasinghe (NPP), T. K. Jayasundera, Ajantha Gammeddage (NPP), Sundaralingam Pradeep (NPP), Kavinda Jayawardena (SJB), J.C. Alawathuwala (SJB),Hector Appuhamy (SJB), Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran (ITAK), Chamara Sampath Dassanayake (NDF), Rohitha Abeygunawardena (NDF), M.L.A.M. Hisbullah (SLMC), M.A.M. Thahir (ACMC), Chanaka Madugoda (SLPP) and Sunil Ratnasiri (NPP).

Tennakoon said that both CoPF and CoPA were dominated by the NPP though the SJBers headed them. However, as heads of the two parliamentary committees, Dr. de Silva and Hashim, should be held responsible for lapses on the part of the committees or any deliberate omissions, Tennakoon said, questioning the rationale behind giving the Treasury and the CBSL six weeks to submit their findings to the CoPF.

Free Lawyers alleged that USD 2.5 had been released in spite of JP Morgan Chase and the Federal Reserve in the United States warning Sri Lanka about the suspicious nature of those foreign transactions via SWIFT messages. Tennakoon emphasized investigators should closely inquire into the decision taken to release funds regardless of such high-profile warnings.

Tennakoon said that the integrity of two key parliamentary committees is at stake. The civil society activist said that the country was in a highly critical phase of debt restructuring following a severe economic crisis. Tennakoon pointed out in terms of a condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme, the government’s debt management functions, previously carried out by the CBSL, were recently transferred to a new institution established under the General Treasury—the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO).

by Shamindra Ferdinando

News

Viral diseases on the rise

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/15

Thilina Walpola

The number of patients hospitalised due to viral illnesses, including dengue fever, had increased significantly, health officials said yesterday, adding that there had been a rise in daily dengue-related admissions.

Acting Director of the National Dengue Control Unit Dr. Kapila Kannangara said Sri Lanka had recorded 41,144 dengue cases as of Saturday (13).

He said more than half of the reported cases—around 51 percent—were from the Western Province.

According to Dr. Kannangara, the number of dengue patients admitted to hospital daily had reached 750, but it had declined to around 630. However, he cautioned that infection levels remained “very high,” despite the slight drop in hospital admissions.

The dengue death toll has risen to 24, prompting several hospitals to issue red alerts amid continued pressure on wards treating incoming patients.

Health officials warned that the situation could worsen if case numbers continued to rise. Dr. Kannangara noted that the growing burden on healthcare facilities could eventually exceed system capacity.

The public has been urged to take preventive measures to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and to seek prompt medical attention if dengue symptoms develop.

by Chaminda Silva

News

Ranil warns of another economic crisis, calls for Opposition unity

Published

8 hours ago

2026/06/15

Thilina Walpola

Former President and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned that Sri Lanka is heading towards a severe economic crisis, alleging that the current administration is steering the country towards “total collapse.”

Addressing a meeting of the UNP Working Committee at the party headquarters on Flower Road on Thursday, Wickremesinghe claimed that the government was facing mounting difficulties on multiple fronts, with the economy continuing to deteriorate.

He also accused the administration of pursuing policies that, he said, marginalised war heroes and Buddhist monks.

Wickremesinghe expressed concern over what he described as an erosion of fundamental and legal rights, citing the arrest and alleged ill-treatment of former State Intelligence Service Chief Suresh Sallay as an example. He said the rising cost of living had emerged as one of the main concerns of the public.

Commenting on the political situation, the former President said the Opposition had not been able to forge unity among the anti-government forces and called for greater coordination among Opposition parties and groups. He advocated a phased mobilisation strategy, beginning at village and electorate level, instead of attempting to address all issues simultaneously.

Wickremesinghe also announced a series of political campaigns and rallies aimed at strengthening the Opposition movement. The programme is scheduled to commence in Kandy this weekend, with subsequent events planned in Kurunegala and Kalutara.

He said the UNP was engaged in discussions with several political parties and organisations, including those led by Minister Jeevan Thondaman, with a view to forming a broader political alliance.Wickremesinghe urged party members to expedite discussions and arrive at a collective decision on the way forward to address the country’s challenges.