Posted on July 4th, 2021
By Lankathilaka/Counterpoint.lk Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Colombo, June 5: Two weeks ago farmers in the town of Medirigiraya, in the Polonaruwa district, were protesting. They had not got their quota of fertilizer to cultivate their fields from their local agriculture office and it was going to affect their crop yield, their finances and the country’s food supply. These farmers also have a proud agricultural heritage stretching back to the days of King Parakramabahu when Polonaruwa, the country’s second most ancient kingdom, was self- sufficient with food. The current forecast is not rosy. The growing scarcity of fertilizer is beginning to tell as the government’s ban on its import gradually chokes the agriculture sector.