News
State Minister calls for sensible solution: Ask farmer to buy fertiliser to prevent overuse
By Saman Indrajith
Removing the subsidy and asking the farmers to buy their fertiliser requirement would have been the right answer to the problems created by the excessive use of chemical fertiliser, State Minister of Urban Development, Waste Disposal and Community Cleanliness, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said.
Godahewa said that he was not sure whether anyone had understood the current fertiliser issue correctly. People were talking about ‘solutions’ and fighting over them without asking what was the ‘issue’ in the first place.
“Don’t we remember the public outcry against chemical fertiliser several years back? That was mainly because of the health issues created by the use of chemical fertiliser. The former president even requested the Chinese government to set up a kidney hospital in Polonnaruwa. That was because kidney diseases had become so widespread amongst the farming communities in the Polonnaruwa district. Our Doctors kept publishing research papers on how the health of our younger generation is affected by consuming food produced using chemical fertiliser. It was indeed a big issue. The list goes on and it was a no-brainer that the excessive use of chemical fertiliser was becoming harmful to society,” he said.
Chemical fertiliser was used all over the world to increase crop productivity, while It had a positive impact on the yield but the excessive use of chemical fertiliser could lead to several other problems, Dr. Godahewa said.
“Then what we should have discussed in the first place would have been how we can reduce the excessive use of chemical fertiliser. To answer that question one should have discussed why farmers were using too much chemical fertiliser on their lands,” he said.
One obvious answer would have been the availability of free fertiliser subsidies, which could be statistically proven. When the government stopped the fertiliser subsidy a few years back the amount of fertiliser imports to the country reduced drastically. But when the government restored fertiliser subsidies, the demand almost doubled. So it was very clear that the farmers used chemical fertilier more than what they needed when it was given free, he said.
The State Minister said: “Removing the subsidy and asking the farmers to buy their fertiliser requirement would have been the right answer. Then the use of fertiliser would have been more efficient. Obviously this wouldn’t have been politically popular. The second point we should have discussed would have been the availability of chemical fertiliser less harmful to the users. Technology is moving fast and the world is experiencing new innovations all the time. Instead of going for the cheapest source for buying, successive governments should have introduced some regulations on the types of fertiliser that can be imported”.
The recent decision of the government to import nano-nitrogen fertiliser could be a move in the right direction as it seemed to be a less harmful, technologically advanced product from the information currently available, he said
Organic farming was an obvious solution to reduce damage to the environment, Dr. Godahewa said. However, it couldn’t be the only solution.
“There must be other answers. I already pointed out two such answers above. Today we act as if our whole objective is to shift our entire cultivation to organic fertiliser. But is it what we want in the first place or is this all a big miscommunication? I strongly feel where we are going wrong is too much emphasis on a solution without asking what was the issue in the first place,” he said.
News
Some VIP security units disbanded, special ‘motivation incentive allowance’ abolished, with some exceptions
Defence Secy. assures regular entitlements won’t be curtailed
Defence Secretary retired Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyakontha has assured the armed forces that contrary to claims, reports and speculation, the NPP government will not curtail various entitlements provided to them.
The declaration was made at the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Headquarters at the Defence Headquarters Complex, Pelawatte, on Monday (Oct 07).
AVM Thuyakontha, who was in the centre of controversy in the run-up to the presidential election over his support for Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s candidature and blacklisted by the SLAF, visited several divisions of Air Force HQ accompanied by the Air Force Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa and other senior officers.
Military Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Padman de Costa also joined the Defence Secretary on his visit to the Air Force HQ.
During the war, Thuyakontha served as the Commanding Officer of the famed 09 Squadron consisting of Mi-24 helicopter gunships.
AVM Thuyakontha reiterated the government’s commitment to the general welfare of the armed forces.
However, the government has declared that what is called ‘motivation incentive allowance’ paid to security forces personnel attached to security units of former VIPs was stopped from Sept. 22, the day after the presidential election.
The Defence Ministry has informed the Army, Navy and Air Force commanders that there was no requirement for ‘motivation incentive allowance’ as the provision of such security has been discontinued.
According to the Defence Ministry, only security units attached to the Chief of Defence Staff, three service commanders and former presidents would continue to receive the special allowance. (SF)
The SLAF will officially take delivery of Beechcraft King Air 360ER aircraft, donated by the United States at the Katunayake airbase.
The US Embassy in Colombo said that funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Building Partner Capacity programme was part of a long-term collaboration with the Sri Lanka Air Force.
“This advanced aircraft is designed to enhance Sri Lanka’s capabilities in search and rescue operations, drug interdiction, and combating trafficking and smuggling. It will also significantly improve the country’s maritime surveillance operations while reinforcing U.S.-Sri Lanka defense cooperation,” the Embassy said.
The Beechcraft King Air 360ER is equipped with cutting-edge technology to boost Sri Lanka’s ability to patrol its waters and address maritime threats.
The aircraft would be assigned to the Number 03 Maritime Squadron based in China Bay, Trincomalee. The squadron comprises Indian and American surveillance aircraft and would be joined before end of this year by an aircraft donated by Australia.
– South Korean envoy
South Korean Ambassador Miyon Lee has assured President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of their readiness to resume investments here.
A statement issued by ROK Embassy in Colombo quoted Ambassador Lee as having reaffirmed willingness among Korean companies to recommence investments in Sri Lanka and expressed expectations on Sri Lanka’s commitment towards maintaining transparency and streamlined policies to attract Foreign Direct Investment for the country.
Ambassador Lee discussed the issue when she paid a courtesy call on President Dissanayake yesterday (09) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the meeting, Ambassador Lee congratulated President Dissanayake on his inauguration and also conveyed best wishes from President Yoon Suk Yeol and his expectations to bolster the relationship between the two countries under the new leadership.
Ambassador Miyon Lee expressed the Korean government’s unwavering support to Sri Lanka with the continuation of people-to-people exchanges, cooperation in education, health and various other sectors. While expressing Korea’s intention to collaborate on digitalization, climatic change initiatives and in the renewable energy sector, she elaborated the role of the Korean government agencies such as KOICA, KOFIH and Saemaul Foundation working in Sri Lanka and called for Sri Lankan government’s continued support for various activities steered by these agencies in this country.
In line with the commitments set out by the International Monetary Fund, the Ambassador wished Sri Lanka for a successful Debt Restructuring Programme and emphasized the commitments by Korea Exim Bank to renew the framework agreement for loan projects to Sri Lanka.
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