Sri Lankan farmers to produce organic fertilizer

As a measure to reduce the amount of foreign exchange spent on importing fertilizer as well as to reduce the exposure to harmful effects of chemical fertilizer, the Sri Lankan government is promoting the production of organic fertilizer.

 

More than 100,000 farmers in Sri Lanka have been directed to produce organic fertilizers under a program by the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Director of Organic Fertilizer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Hemantha Wijewardena says that training and knowledge for organic fertilizer production have already been provided to the farmers in several districts of the island.

 

The government will provide necessary equipment to the farmers free of charge.

 

Each farmer should produce two metric tons of organic fertilizer under this programme. They have also been advised to utilize organic fertilizer for cultivation in their lands.

 

The official further said that the farmers are now producing the stocks of organic fertilizers needed for their cultivation in the coming "Maha" season.

 

The government has allocated Rs. 250 million from this year's budget to popularize the project among farmers.