COLOMBO, 23 April, 2021 (TON): [Pledge to completely halt the import of chemical fertilizers in the near future has been made by the Sri Lankan President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Thursday.

At a meeting with the heads of state corporations and statutory boards at the President’s House in Fort on Thursday afternoon, the President made the comments.

The President said, although high yields can be obtained by using chemical fertilizers, the damage to lives caused by pollution of lakes, canals and groundwater cannot be offset by that profit.

He stated, “Health officials point out that the effects of chemical fertilizers have led to a number of non-communicable diseases, including kidney disease. The cost of treatment and the impact on lives is high. In order to produce a healthy and productive citizen, the government must guarantee the right of the people to a non-toxic diet and agriculture in the country will be directed to use organic fertilizers for this purpose.”

The President said all parties should intervene to increase the production of organic fertilizer in the country.

However, plans will be made to replace the fertilizer subsidy with organic fertilizer as $ 400 million is spent annually on fertilizer imports could be used to uplift the lives of the people.