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Agricultural experts warn of looming food crisis
ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka is facing its worst performing cultivation season in more than a decade during the ongoing Yala season and there is a possibility of a looming food crisis in the coming months,” a group of Agriculture experts have warned.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ban on chemical fertilizer a year ago is now taking the toll on the agricultural sector with the paddy production has plummeted nearly by 50 percent.
Rice is Sri Lanka’s staple food and nearly 80 percent of the 2.2 million Sri Lankan farmers cultivate paddy in 800,000 acres of land, the biggest by any crop.
“This season has not yet begun, but it is already finished. There is no hope for it,” K.K.I.U. Arunakumara, a crop science professor at University of Ruhunu told reporters on Wednesday (27) in Colombo representing Academics’ Movement to Safeguard Agriculture in Sri Lanka.
“If we cannot get enough seed paddy for next season at least, Sri Lanka will have to depend on imports even in 2023. We cannot see this crisis coming to an end.”
The fertilizer ban has led Sri Lanka to import rice from India, Pakistan, and Myanmar while China has agreed to grant 5,000 metric tons of rice.
Critics say the government’s objective of chemical fertilizer ban is lost because the island nation has to spend more dollars on imports while people are compelled to consume rice grown under agrochemicals in a foreign country instead of Sri Lanka.
The experts also said apart from rice, yield of corn, a crop largely used for animal feed, went down by over 70 percent. while decline in tea production has led to a fall of 52 million US dollars in the first quarter due to fertilizer ban. They also said vegetable yield also had also gone down by 30 percent.
President Rajapaksa and his cabinet ministers were stubborn on organic fertilizer. The government first imported organic fertilizer from China, but the consignment was rejected because the authorities said the shipment contained harmful bacteria. Later it imported liquid Nitrogen fertilizer, but farmers complained that they do not prefer to use them due to bad odour.
Last week, the President said banning chemical fertilizer was a mistake and he would reverse the decision for the this Yala cultivation season.
Experts said a looming food shortage could be due to farmers temporarily abandoning Agriculture due to the unsustainable costs of the occupation.
“Fertilizer prices have gone up by seven folds, and farmers no longer receive subsidies. A 50kg of fertilizer was 6000 rupees in the past. Now it is over 45,000 rupees. Large commercial farms can cover the costs, but most farmers decided to reduce production area or temporarily stop agriculture,” Arunakumara said.
The initial ban on chemical fertilizer in April last year resulted in widespread protests by the farming community. After the ban is lifted, now fertilizer scarcity is haunting the farming community hard.
Arunakumara stated that importers were finding it difficult to open letters of credit due to the forex crisis, and that the Russia Ukraine war, as well as China’s export ban on chemical fertilizer was also impacting the scarcity.
Experts noted that the lack of weedicides, pesticides and insecticides also had a huge impact on crops, especially on corn, which is highly affected by growth of weeds.
Professor Saman Dhamakeerthi from University of Peradeniya told Economy Next that the reduction of corn production could have adverse effects on the animal husbandry industry, particularly poultry farms, and that meat prices would also increase as a result.
Experts stated that Sri Lanka was self-sufficient in paddy since 2008, producing on average an excess of 800,000 metric tonnes of paddy per year, except for two years of extreme drought. In contrast, Sri Lanka had to import 650,000 kg of rice since the ban on chemical fertilizer, experts say.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
