Sri Lanka is hosting a special conference on “Nitrogen Rediscovery, Climate Change, Solutions and Activities for the Cyclical Economy” on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland yesterday (31).
Addressing the conference, the President stressed the need for a new agrarian revolution that is not against nature and that we, the people, must go along with it rather than act against nature.
The President also stated that his government’s policy is sustainable development, which is reflected in Sri Lanka’s updated national determinations and aspirations for the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.
The President pointed out that the main reason for the chronic kidney disease which is prevalent among the farming community is the widespread use of this chemical fertilizer.
President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has stated that his government has taken steps to reduce the import of chemical fertilizers and to encourage organic farming in the future to control such situations.
The President said that this process has been widely appreciated by some as well as criticized and protested by some quarters.
The President further said that the majority of those who have resorted to such criticisms and protests are groups that support chemical fertilizers and farmers who use fertilizers extensively as an easy way to increase yields, which is a great tragedy considering the Sri Lankan agricultural heritage.