Sri Lanka to import fertilizer again from Qingdao?

COLOMBO (News 1st); The government is preparing to import fertilizer again from China's Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group.

A stock of fertilizer sent by the Chinese fertilizer company was rejected earlier, for containing harmful pathogens.

However, the government eventually paid 6.9 million US dollars Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group for the rejected shipment.

Now the Sri Lanka Standards Institute is preparing new standards for special types of fertilizer.

Its Senior Deputy Director K.A. Anil said initial work is being done to prepare the new standards.

Agriculture minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the ministry had requested the SLSI to prepare new standards for liquid biofertilizer and solid fertilizers.

He noted that the previous standards did not allow the importation of fertilizer containing bacteria.

The minister said that authorities would not allow fertilizer containing harmful bacteria into the country.

The Sri Lanka Standards Institute says it would not set standards targetting Chinese fertilizer.

Senior Deputy Director K.A. Anil who is attached to the SLSI's Agriculture Section said the new standards will cover compound fertilizer.

He said the standards will apply to the fertilizer from the Chinese company if it confirms that the organic fertilizer has special compounds.

Methsiri Wijegunawardana, the chairman of Colombo Commercial Fertilizers Ltd., says the agriculture ministry has appointed a special committee to implement the agreements reached with the Chinese fertilizer company.

He noted that Sri Lanka hopes to import fertilizer in February or March from the Chinese company from which the initial fertilizer stock was rejected.