Let them eat dirt

The Sri Lankan government’s ban on synthetic fertiliser is a noble endeavor, but timing is everything

Earlier this year, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced a blanket ban on the use of chemical (or more appropriately synthetic) fertiliser for farming in Sri Lanka. If implemented properly (and there are many reasons to suggest it might not be), not only would the President have fulfilled a key campaign promise from his election manifesto Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour (“Building up a community of citizens who are healthy and productive with the habit of consuming food with no contamination with harmful chemicals”), he would also have made Sri Lanka the first country on earth to implement 100% organic farming.

As commendable as any effort is to improve the health of a people, the timing of this particular decision seems ill-advised. Depriving thousands of farmers a secure source of income at a time when the pandemic has already ravaged their daily livelihoods seem cruel and unnecessary. The sudden announcement has also led to massive crowds of anxious and unvaccinated farmers gathering at government-sponsored fertiliser distribution centres at a time when the country is under travel-restriction orders to curb the spread of covid.

More worrying is the apparent lack of a cohesive and well-established strategy and system by the government to implement such a draconian ban at local farm level, especially to counter a potential shortage of organic fertiliser for the upcoming farming season, which seems all but likely. Failure to plan for a shortage may eventually lead to the government having to import organic fertiliser (or even organic produce) to bridge the local shortfall and prevent a food shortage in the country — battering an already embattled balance of payments deficit and resulting in further inflationary pressures.

Since it remains unlikely that the government would renege on its intention to promote healthier eating habits (indeed Mr. Rajapaksa seems adamant in seeing this through), it should be more pragmatic in its implementation. Sri Lanka can learn much from countries which have already transitioned a sizeable portion of their farming towards organic means. It must also educate and work closely with the farming community in setting up the necessary frameworks, infrastructure, and support systems to cater to a wholly organic farming ecosystem. People’s habits don’t change as fast as government laws dictate. And when attempting to upend something that’s been the norm for 70+ years, the government must choose competence over expedience.