Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has commended the measures taken by Local Government authorities and private sector organisations to manufacture organic fertilizer using vegetable refuse, garbage and natural forest leaves. Accordingly, a number of organic fertilizer manufacturing plants have already been set up at Bandarawela, Galle, Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Bandaragama, Kurunegala, Dambulla, Passara and several other cities.
Referring to the country’s urgent need for fertilizer to help the entire farmer community to carry out their agricultural crops, especially paddy, tea, rubber, coconut, vegetable and horticulture, Minister Aluthgamage thanked Local Government institutions and other organizations for taking such a bold step to manufacture fertilizer considering the current need.
Meanwhile, Bandarawela Mayor Janaka Ratnayaka said its compost fertilizer manufacturing project commenced several years ago with the financial assistance granted by the Government.
“Considering the urgent need, we are expected to increase our production capacity to 1,000 metric tons a month since it will help to ease the entire district’s compost fertilizer shortage,” he said.
He said the Municipal Council is collecting vegetable refuse from the Bandarawela main vegetable market and garbage from houses, hotels and restaurants every morning for this purpose.
The Mayor said all the garbage collected every morning is separated by workers and the plastic and polythene waste is destroyed separately without causing any harm to the environment.
Minister Aluthgamage assured that steps have been taken to provide sufficient compost fertilizer to entire farmer communities because many Local Government institutions and Divisional Secretariats have already begun manufacturing fertilizer with the garbage collected daily.
