The All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation says it is now evident that the decision by the government to ban the import of chemical fertiliser was taken, without a long-term plan in mind.
Speaking to NewsRadio, National Organiser of the Federation Namal Karunaratne said a few months will have to pass in order to repair the damage caused to farmlands, despite the government deciding to permit the importation of plant nutrients and agro chemicals for several essential crops.
He stressed that the government overturned the decision to ban chemical fertiliser imports in a span of six months, which signals the acceptance of its failure.
Karunaratne noted that farmers have been dragged to the streets adding it will take time to come back to original volumes of cultivation.
Namal Karunaratne also commented that the government must compensate farmers for the damages they suffered during the past few months, due to a shortage in fertiliser.
He demanded that the Ministers who took such decisions use their personal funds to compensate farmers instead of using public funds.
Namal Karunaratne predicted a food shortage in Sri Lanka during the beginning of next year.
