Sri Lankan government committed to promoting green agriculture policy
The government of Sri Lanka has reportedly stated that it would import non-hazardous fertiliser for 1.1 million hectares of paddy cultivation for the upcoming Maha season, as well as non-food non-soil farming as part of its commitment to promote a green agriculture policy.
According to local media reports, the Sri Lankan government has insisted that its eagerness towards organic farming was urgent to avoid the ill-effects of chemical fertilisers.
The Cabinet of Ministers on the recommendation of Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister, has reportedly approved the appointment of a special procurement committee on organic fertiliser, natural minerals and chelated herbal trace, and a technical committee specialised for the relevant subject to assist the procurement committee.
The Cabinet has further decided to import required carbonic fertiliser and natural minerals through the state-owned fertiliser company for 500,000 hectares of paddy cultivation for the 2021/2022 Maha season, with accordance to the international competitive bidding method, and distributing them through the Department of Agrarian Services.
A proposal had also been put forward to import carbonic fertiliser, through licensed companies that have permission to import fertiliser, for 600,000 hectares of the other crops, adhering to the recommendations of the research institutions of the relevant crops.
Local media reports have also noted that another move pursued by the government is to import specific fertiliser for non-food charming plants and cut flower cultivations and non-soil cultivation through the Import License Method, adhering to the recommendations of the research institutes of the relevant crops.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s commitment to developing and promoting a green agriculture policy in the country has opened up many business/investment opportunities in the country’s agriculture sector. Sri Lanka is currently working on converting from agro chemical based agriculture to one focused on organic products. Apart from providing and building capacity to produce organic fertilizer in the country, Sri Lanka’s agriculture industry is also focused on introducing latest technology and machinisation to the industry. Foreign agro businesses could therefore explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/09062021/Z_5 |