The Puttalam Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture has requested the National Fertilizer Secretariat to conduct an investigation into a substandard compost fertilizer production site.
The Department of Agriculture has received information that substandard compost is being produced at a place in the Kalpitiya – Noracholai area and is being prepared to be transported to the Welimada area.
Accordingly, officials of the Department of Agriculture have taken action to inspect the relevant place.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture were not initially allowed to inspect the composting site. Later, the agriculture officers, with the assistance of the Army, inspected the site.
Even then the 1000 bags of each 40kg of manufactured and packaged substandard compost manure were prepared to transport.
Those present at the scene had told the agriculture officials that the stock of fertilizer had been prepared to be taken to the Welimada area. It is stated in the bags that this fertilizer has been produced on the technical instructions of the Department of Agriculture and the National Fertilizer Secretariat.
However, Puttalam Deputy Director of Agriculture Tharangika Shyamali said that none of her officials had gone to inspect or advise the site.
In 2011, the relevant institution had requested a standard certificate for the sale of this fertilizer, but it was rejected.
This is due to the fact that the submitted fertilizer samples contain 68% sand. Accordingly, a further investigation revealed that the company did not have an environmental, technical, or trade license, the Deputy Director of Agriculture said.
However, the National Fertilizer Secretariat has been informed to take further action regarding this fertilizer factory, the Deputy Director of Agriculture added.