Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) to provide their laboratory facilities to facilitate soil testing on farm lands.
The Government has decided that all Ministries should co-operate in the organic farming programme initiated by the Government on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
“Accordingly, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera instructed officials at the Ministry Progress Review Meeting held on June 23 that the Ministry of Environment and all its affiliated institutions should make their full contribution to the programme being carried out by the Government to promote organic farming,” the Minister’s Media Unit said. Soil tests are carried out to obtain accurate data on the chemical conditions in the soil of farmlands. After such a soil test, it is possible to get a successful harvest in the cultivation process. At present this work is being done by the Ministry of Agriculture.
However, officials informed the Minister that if the farmers want to carry out a soil test on their farm, the necessary facilities can be provided by the GSMB laboratory.
Minister Amaraweera instructed officials to discuss and implement this programme with the Ministry of Agriculture. The GSMB has a fully equipped laboratory which can facilitate soil testing.
The Minister also said that a natural herbicide and pesticide will be developed with the financial assistance of the GSMB and the Technical Services Institute.“A big problem in the process of popularizing organic farming is the lack of focus on herbicides and pesticides so far. Therefore, if research carried out in our country to produce 100% eco-friendly herbicides and pesticides using several invasive plant species are successful, it will be a turning point in the local agriculture sector,” Minister Amaraweera said.The Minister also said that several invasive species that need to be removed from the environment have been identified and research is being carried out in this regard. The Minister instructed that measures be taken to commence these activities as soon as possible.