Chinese firm to send fresh batch of fertilizer - Agriculture Minister

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's Agriculture Minister says that Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. , a Chinese Organic Fertilizer Company, will be sending fresh batch of fertilizer to Sri Lanka, after a harmful pathogen was detected in samples.

'There will be no delay in providing fertilizer to the farmers for the next season. The Chinese firm admitted their mistake and have assured ss that they will rectify it,' said Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

He said Sri Lanka is also in talks with India to secure fertilizer for cultivations and stressed fertilizers with pathogens harmful to humans, animals and plants will never be imported.

On September 29th, Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has announced the suspension of organic fertilizer imports from China.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, this decision was reached after laboratory tests revealed the presence of harmful bacteria in the organic fertilizer samples.

Harmful Bacteria was detected in a fresh sample of Chinese Organic Fertilizer, said the Director-General of Agriculture Dr. Ajantha De Silva on 28th September.

He told News 1st that samples from a Chinese company tested by authorities once again proved the presence of bacteria and he maintains the position to NOT allow any organic fertilizer from the particular supplier to be imported to the country.

“We cannot confirm the presence of Erwinia, but we can confirm the presence of harmful bacteria in this new sample,” he added.

Dr. De Silva said the government will have to cancel the contract awarded to the Chinese company to supply organic fertilizer, and the Department of Agriculture will NEVER allow such organic fertilizer with harmful bacteria to enter the country.

This supplier was revealed as Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.

On the 17th of September Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture confirmed that a microorganism identified as ‘Erwinia’ was discovered in samples brought down ‘unofficially’ to Sri Lanka and tested.

The supplier was the same, Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd.