Harsha, Mahindananda clash over substandard fertilizer

COLOMBO (News1st): Parliamentarians Harsha de Silva and Mahindananda Aluthgamage were involved in a harsh exchange of words on stocks of substandard fertilizer that had been released to the market. Dr Harsha de Silva, an opposition lawmaker, pointed out that the Sri Lanka Standards Institute had identified that 18,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer imported in October 2020 contain excess levels of Lead and Cadmium. "The letter sent by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute says that these stocks can be used," agriculture minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said during a debate in Parliament. However, Dr Harsha de Silva pointed out that the letter had said that tests carried out by the importers themselves had shown that the stocks had not contained excess levels of toxins. "We cannot accept that stocks can be released to the market based on the tests carried out by the importers themselves," De Silva noted.