Making a revelation, Anura Kumara Dissanayake , Member of Parliament for the National People’s Force (NFF) said that two suspended stocks of highly toxic chemical fertilizers imported into the country in the year 2020 were taken into the country on the orders of the President and the Secretary to the President. Dissanayake further said that they were suspended due to non-compliance with the standards but released on higher orders.
According to the NFF MP who is also the leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna one of the decisions to release those substandard fertilizer was decided at a meeting chaired by Secretary to the President PB Jayasundara on 08.10.2020.
It was decided to release 18,000 metric tons of banned toxic TSP fertilizer. Another stockpile of toxic fertilizer containing high levels of powdered arsenic were releasedon the decision taken on 2020.11. 03. He said that the President himself had given the order at a meeting chaired by the President and that a payment of Rs. 50 million had been made for the stock of fertilizer.
He also said.
“The government said that toxic fertilizer is being imported to our country. It is in a recent audit report. There are some who did not come to that audit report. I will tell you that. ”
“There were 18,000 metric tons of substandard TSP fertilizer. The fertilizer was not included in the country as it lacked TSP standards. However, on 08.10.2020 the Director General of the Standards Institution Dr. Siddhika G. Senaratne issues a letter to the Director of the National Fertilizer Secretariat requesting the release of those non-toxic standard fertilizers. The Director of the National Fertilizer Secretariat writes to the General Manager of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company regarding the release.
“These decisions have been taken by the Secretary to the President PB Jayasundera. At a meeting with Jayasundera. Following the revelation of this incident, Secretary to the President PB Jayasundera writes that he did not approve the release of the fertilizer. But the Director General of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute has been quoted him for making this decision. ‘
“In the second case, at a meeting chaired by the President, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution paid Rs. 500 million to import fertilizer that did not conform to local standards.”
“This fertilizer failed after being tested in our country. It contains 38 milligrams per kilogram of Arsenic . With the standards arsenic should be contained as low as 25 milligrams per kilogram. Lead is 49 milligrams per kilogram. According to the standard lead can be only 30 mg per kilogram. “
