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The shortage of fertiliser in the country could be leading to a severe scarcity of food in the future upon the limited harvest from the Yala season, experts in the Agriculture field warned speaking to media yesterday (14).
Prof. Nalika Ranatunga, Department of Agricultural Biology, University of Ruhuna, speaking to media in Matara said, “We’ll be getting the Yala harvest in a few months. It is very clear that this country will have to face a huge scarcity of food due to the limited harvest. In addition to this food shortage, food prices are set to rise sharply. I believe that with this increase in food prices, the poor people will have to face a big problem in finding their meals. The reason is that we are stuck in a pandemic. In the midst of this pandemic there may be problems with food shortages at this time.”
Prof. Buddhi Marambe, Editor, National Institute of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, speaking to media in Kandy said, “Looking at globally, the Bhutanese government was the first to embark on such a task. But by 2018, they realised that they were gradually becoming a food importing country. They have become themselves a version in which they import about 63% of their rice requirement, 21% of their required maize and 23% of their required vegetables. Keep in mind, the day in which the producer, the consumer, like the entire people will feel hunger is not far. Looking at the 21.8 million consumers, giving them money for their food security is not enough. It is food we have to provide them with. It may cost a lot of money to import rice.”
Prof. Marambe added: “Despite the source – whether it is chemical or oganic – a crop needs nutritition. If we cannot provide that nutrition when we need it, then we may not be able to collect harvest from this agriculture! That is the truth, the accepted scientific truth. Food security is national security. If we lose national security, we will not be able to move further in the current economic system.”
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