Bad policy for the citizens

Crossville TN

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President Tells Starving Sri Lanka That Green Anti-Fertilizer Policy Was a ‘Mistake’ The president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa admitted in remarks on Monday that his controversial decision to ban the use of chemical fertilizers was a “mistake,” contributing to the nation’s worst economic crisis in its history. “I feel that the failure to provide chemical fertilizer to farmers was a mistake, we have taken steps to provide that again,” the president stated as new members of his cabinet were sworn in Monday. Seeking to become the first country to attain 100-percent organic farming, Rajapaksa’s ban on chemical fertilizers was first announced in 2020 and implemented in 2021 as part of his “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour” national program. The move was promoted by citing health concerns over the use of fertilizers and shortages of foreign reserves to import the agricultural chemicals. “Sri Lanka recently restricted the imports of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and weedicides due to public health concerns, water contamination, soil degradation, and biodiversity impacts. Although opposed by entrenched lobbies, this has created opportunities for innovation and investment into organic agriculture that will be healthier and more sustainable in future,” Rajapaksa boasted at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.