Sri Lanka bans import of organic fertilizers manufactured in China
On September 17, agriculture scientists in Sri Lanka found that China manufactured organic fertilisers that contained a microorganism identified as 'Erwinia'. Agriculture experts warned that China's organic fertiliser importation would create an agricultural disaster in the island nation. The Agriculture Ministry too confirmed this later but the Minister alleged that the samples which came to Sri Lanka could have tampered.
Subsequently, fresh samples of China's organic fertilizers were brought to Sri Lanka and the Director-General of Agriculture told the media that the new samples too were infected with bacteria. De Silva said though the presence of Erwinia could not be confirmed, the presence of harmful bacteria in this new sample was confirmed. Subsequently, the Agriculture Ministry stated that it would halt the importation of Chinese organic fertilizers.