- Anbarasan Ethirajan
- BBC reporter
Image source,Getty Images
Sri Lanka does not allow the import of organic fertilizers from a Chinese company due to quality problems, which also affects the livelihoods of local farmers.
Why did a Chinese ship carrying cargo refuse to leave Sri Lankan waters despite the authorities’ request?
The answer is that a serious error occurred in a batch of important goods, leading to rare diplomatic frictions between two close allies, a bank was blacklisted, and a group of farmers and scientists engaged in a rights defense confrontation.
The cargo ship, the Hippo Spirit, departed from China in September to transport 20,000 tons of much-needed organic fertilizer to Colombo.
The Sri Lankan government suddenly stopped all chemical fertilizer imports in May in an attempt to transform the country into the world‘s first fully organic farming country. This transaction was concluded after the ban.
Colombo plans to purchase 99,000 tons of organic fertilizer from Qingdao Haida Biological Group, a Chinese company specializing in seaweed fertilizer, for US$49.7 million (£36 million). This is the first shipment to be shipped to the local area.
But if Sri Lanka has an urgent need for organic fertilizers, why does this shipment cause controversy?
“Toxic, Garbage, Pollution”
The problem lies in the quality of fertilizers. Some scientists say that these fertilizers are not only harmful to the growth of crops, but may also be harmful.
Dr Ajantha De Silva, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, told the BBC: “Our tests on samples show that (China) fertilizers are not aseptically treated… We have found some bacteria and will Plants such as carrots and potatoes are harmful.”
They insist that the goods cannot be accepted because they have an impact on the country’s biosecurity.
The decision of the Sri Lankan authorities triggered an angry rebuttal from Qingdao Haida. The company accused the Sri Lankan media of using derogatory terms such as “toxic, garbage, and pollution” to “defame the image of Chinese companies and the Chinese government.”
“The unscientific testing methods and conclusions of the National Plant Quarantine Service (NPQ) of Sri Lanka obviously do not comply with the International Convention on Animal and Plant Quarantine,” the company blasted in a statement.
As the dispute escalated, the local court ordered the state-owned People’s Bank of Sri Lanka to stop paying US$9 million for goods that were already waiting to enter the country.
The Chinese Embassy in Colombo responded and blacklisted the bank on the grounds that the bank did not pay the company.
Qingdao Haida requested the State Plant Quarantine Bureau of Sri Lanka to pay 8 million U.S. dollars to compensate for the reputation loss suffered after the dispute.
With all these storms unfolding on the shore, the ship has not left the waters of Sri Lanka.
When the Sri Lankan port authorities refused to allow it to discharge the cargo in late October, the ship left the port of Colombo, after which it was reported that it sailed to the waters near Hambantota Port on the southern coast.
The latest images from the current maritime transportation website show that the ship is currently docked near the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, not far from Colombo.
Obviously, this Chinese company is unwilling to take back its goods.
After a recent meeting with officials from the Chinese Embassy, Sri Lanka’s Junior Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa (Shasheendra Rajapaksa) stated that they have agreed to retest new samples through a mutually agreed third-party laboratory.
“We were not forced to do this, but they just made a request,” Mr. Rajapaksa said. “Currently, the goods cannot be shipped into Sri Lanka.”
If the goods are returned to China, it will be very embarrassing for Qingdao Haida and the Chinese government. The company said it exports organic fertilizers to more than 50 countries, including Australia and the United States.
Under pressure
However, some Sri Lankans are questioning whether their government is capable of resisting Chinese pressure.
Sri Lanka, as part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative to build infrastructure in Asia, Beijing has provided the country with billions of dollars in loans. However, not all funding is good for Sri Lanka.
For example, in 2017, after Colombo was unable to repay the debt arising from the construction of the port, China Merchants Port Holdings Co., Ltd. obtained a majority stake in the strategic Hambantota port with a lease period of 99 years.
Image source,Getty Images
China’s plan to invest in local ports has triggered concerns about whether Sri Lanka will fall into a debt trap.
Some Western analysts believe that Sri Lanka has entered China’s “debt trap.”
However, Sri Lankan officials insisted that despite China’s strong financial resources, any organic fertilizer that violates current regulations will not be allowed to enter the country.
“We have clearly told the company that they can send products back to China and send fresh samples from another batch. If these samples pass the regulatory standards, they will definitely be able to send another batch of fertilizer,” De Xi Dr. Elva said.
Controversy over organic fertilizers
While officials of the two countries are arguing about fertilizers, tens of thousands of Sri Lankan farmers do not have enough organic fertilizers, making this planting season look bleak.
RM Rathnayaka, a rice farmer from the Monaragala district in southeastern Sri Lanka, said the government’s sudden ban on the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has had a huge impact on the agricultural community.
“We can’t switch to organic farming all at once. Although it is better to use natural fertilizers, the government’s current approach is wrong,” Ratnayaka told the BBC.
He believes that the country should switch to organic agriculture “in stages”.
Professor Buddhi Marambe of the University of Peradeniya said that the country’s switch to fully organic agriculture will harm the agricultural economy because the output of major crops such as rice may drop sharply.
“Only organic agriculture, we cannot guarantee food security in an all-round way,” said Professor Malanbe.
There are reports that the country’s famous Ceylon tea is under threat. Previously, farmers across the country protested, and the government later relaxed some regulations on synthetic fertilizers.
Image source,Chaminda Dissanayaka
Ratnayaka questioned the country’s inability to ban fertilizers overnight.
At the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that excessive use of chemical fertilizers has caused health problems such as chronic kidney disease. This is related to his government’s efforts to reduce imports. The reason why fertilizers take a firm stand.
But some analysts pointed out that the country’s decision to ban chemical fertilizers was to restrict expensive imports, but the government denied this.
As of the end of October, the country’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen to US$2.3 billion, and the government had restricted the import of various other items in response to the crisis.
Regardless of the reasons behind the fertilizer ban, some people say that the government now finds itself in a precarious position.
It is facing dissatisfaction from Beijing, and its own farmers and agricultural experts are also fiercely opposed.