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Govt. tries to sow ‘organic’ seed in farmers’ minds
Crowds at the three-day exhibition and sale of toxin-free food
The Government is promoting the use of organic fertilizer by increasing organically cultivated land from 15,000 to 500,000 hectares within three years, the Project Director of the National Food Programme at the Presidential Secretariat, said.
Project Director Wijeratna Sakalasuriya said the first step to promote use of organic fertilizer was taken last week with the three-day exhibition and sale of toxin-free food to build a “Toxin-Free Nation”. The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall exhibition was visited by more than 500,000 people.
Mr. Sakalasuriya said the Government would hold similar exhibitions and sale of toxin-free food in other provinces.
“We have planned to give a mechanical weeding machine to every farmers’ association at a cost of Rs. 550,000 each. We will increase the sale price of organic products to motivate farmers.
The exhibition featured information on organic cultivation while farmers’ concerns were discussed with experts. Farmers and inventors were allowed to exhibit and sell environmentally-friendly products.
The exhibition was supported by the ministries of Health and Agriculture and by the security forces and universities whose expert knowledge was passed on to visitors.
Most farmers’ associations said they accepted the Government’s policy of switching to organic fertilizer but they could not move to organic farming without fertilizer and could not make organic fertilizer without planning and government support.
All-Island Farmers Federation (AIFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne said the intention behind the BMICH exhibition was good but to get farmers to farm organically, much more needed to be done.
He said the Government should provide a substitute for chemical fertilizer and means to get it to the farmer instead of just giving money.
“Farmers first need education and guidance to start organic farming. There should be government officials and experts in the field. Without knowledge, farmers can’t engage in such farming,” he said.
Mr. Karunaratne pointed out that the Government food plan for 2016 to 2018 had no mention of organic farming, yet listed amounts of fertilizer needed.
Chandana Ranasinghe, a former Grama Niladhari at Kiriwatiyawa in Puttalam, said farmers could farm organically if the Government provided specific assistance.
He said firstly the Government should make organic fertilizer at distributing or manufacturing centres in every three Grama Niladhari divisions and be involved in distribution of the fertilizer.
“Compost cannot be used to nourish mass-scale cultivation: other ways are needed to enrich soil. So, therefore, government should think about that,” he said.
Mr. Ranasinghe, who is also a farmer, said that if crops were to be organic, the usage of pesticides and herbicides too must be stopped and alternatives for these should be planned.
He also said that farmers who should cultivate organically should be provided with suitable free seed and given high prices for their products.
Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, who is playing a key role in this mission to switch to organic farming, said the Government had decided the next exhibition of Toxin-Free Nation would take place in Jaffna.
Ven. Rathana Thera said that Government would provide seed suitable for organic farming and also technology and governmental and non-governmental help to take up organic farming.
He advised farmers not to worry about taking up organic farming, saying they should simply follow ancient crop-preserving methods.
Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake said farmers would be given Rs, 25,000 for every two acres and he hoped they would use this money to buy organic fertilizer or make it themselves.