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Govt. rejects Cuba’s offer of hi-tech organic agriculture
View(s):The Cuban government has offered to transfer modern technology for organic or natural agriculture in Sri Lanka but the Government is not keen to accept it, apparently because of the influence of powerful transnational agrochemical companies, the Government Medical Officers Association has charged.
Dr. Chinthaka Wijewardene, a member of the GMOA’s subcommittee on national health issues told the Sunday Times Cuba’s Foreign Minister during a recent visit to Sri Lanka had made this offer because Cuba was highly successful in its organic agriculture. He said Sri Lanka’s Government was not responding positively apparently because the powerful agrochemical TNCs were influencing politicians and officials to continue with the large-scale use of imported chemical fertilisers, weedicides and pesticides.
According to people-friendly agriculturists and nutritionists, most of the food items we eat — ranging from rice and other grains to vegetables and fruits — contain poison because of the excessive use of agrochemicals. This may be the reason why, despite all the marvels of modern medical technology, more people are falling sick more often, hospitals are packed like market places and often medical specialists are unable to diagnose ailments. Sri Lanka spends hundreds of millions of dollars on the import of these agrochemicals.
Dr. Wijewardene said that in Cuba the use of agrochemicals was banned and the Sri Lanka Government should accept the offer from our old Non-Aligned friend to prevent further poisoning of our people and the pollution of Mother Earth. Besides the agrochemical pollution of our food and earth, further food poisoning is also taking place in other ways.
At a recent meeting of the Medico-Legal Society of Sri Lanka, speakers revealed that as many as 1,200 additives including preservatives, flavour-enhancing substances, artificial sweeteners, and substances for colouring and texture were being used in imported and local food items.
Colombo’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni revealed they had raided several eateries and hotels in Colombo. What they found was shocking. Most of these hotels did not have clean kitchens, toilets or storage places. Some of them did not have tap water but were instead obtaining slightly muddy water from tube wells.
The Chief MOH said they had found various insects and even snails in the food that had been stored near the toilet or kitchen. He said some of the colouring substances used for popular biriyanis were found to be harmful. Dr. Wijemuni warned that the most poisoned or polluted food item that people could eat was the popular kottu roti.
In a positive move yesterday seed paddy of traditional or native rice varieties such as Kalu-Heenati, Madathawalu, Siyapath-El, Putchha Perumal, Kurulutuda and Kahawanu were given to about 50,000 paddy farmers in the North-Central Province by Special Projects Minister S. M. Chandrasena. Dr. Channa Jayasumana, Director of the Presidential Task Force for the Prevention of Kidney Disease, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had taken the initiative to distribute seed paddy of traditional rice varieties to farmers who would cultivate those varieties without the use of agrochemicals. Dr. Jayasumana said seed paddy were given free of charge and the farmers had agreed to cultivate the traditional varieties without using agrochemicals.