GOVT. HAS RELEASED 18,000 MTS TO FARMERS: ANURA KUMARA

● SJB MP Nalin Bandara said the Government had also released nearly 1,700 MTS of TSP fertiliser which had been retained from 2015 due to excessive amounts of Cadmium

● This stock of fertiliser had contained hazardous substances of Arsenic, Lead and Chromium in excessive amounts beyond standards approved in SL

● People had lost faith in organic farming now

The Government had released 18,000 MTS of substandard and hazardous stocks of TSP fertiliser to the farmers, despite its pledges to protect farmers from hazardous chemicals, National Peoples’ Power (NPP) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday.

He told Parliament that the Director General of Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI) had granted approval to release fertiliser stocks to the farmers following a discussion with President’s Secretary P.B. Jayasundara.

He said this stock of fertiliser had contained hazardous substances of Arsenic, Lead and Chromium in excessive amounts beyond standards approved in Sri Lanka.

“The approved amount of Arsenic in Sri Lanka is 25 mgs in 1kg of chemical fertiliser, 30 mgs of Lead in 1 kg and 50 mgs of Chromium. This stock contains 38 mg of Arsenic and 49 mgs of Lead,” he said and added that this hazardous fertiliser stock has been released on the instructions of the President on November 3,2020.

The MP said the Government’s haphazard and ignorant decisions had ruined the great concept of organic farming and added that people had lost faith in organic farming now. Meanwhile, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said the Government had also released nearly 1,700 MTS of TSP fertiliser which had been retained from 2015 due to excessive amounts of Cadmium.

He said this stock had not been released for five years since 2015 as it contained an excessive amount of Cadmium and added that another stock of 11,030 MTS of TSP had also been released during 2020.