By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
Agro chemicals have already done plenty of harm to environment and become a major cause of many non-communicable diseases in Sri Lanka, Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute Director Lalith Kantha Jayasekara told The Island Yesterday (28).
According to world statistics, agriculture mortality rates have remained consistently high throughout the world in the last decade in contrast to other dangerous occupations. Farm workers are at a very high risk of occupational diseases due to exposure to pesticides due to inadequate education, training and safety systems, he said.
"The pesticide laced foods we eat, the smokestack befouled air we breathe and the petrochemical based products we use negatively affect our quality of life," Jayasekara said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Ministry Secretary W. A. Sakalasooriya said that ministry has taken steps to manufacture 50,000 MT of organic fertilizers this year to increase crop productivity, improve soil fertility and reduce chemical fertilizer imports.
He added that the Government was investing about Rs. 500 million a year for that purpose and had also made a Rs. 500 million allocation for organic farming last year. The allocation is made not only to make organic fertiliser but also to train farmers on how to make organic fertiliser and popularise organic farming.
By increasing the organic fertilizer the government can save valuable foreign exchange spent to import chemical fertilizer, Sakalasooriya said.
The Ministry has also conducted a large number of organic fertiliser projects around the country. The Organic Fertiliser Promotion Centre was established in Weligama recently at a cost of Rs. 4.5 million by the Agriculture ministry. The main objective of the establishment of this organic fertilizer centre is to encourage people to grow fruits and vegetables free from chemicals.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=48546
No comments:
Post a Comment