The Agriculture Ministry will produce 50,000 metric tonnes of organic fertilizer using the Eppawala Phosphate Deposit for the first time.
This programme is being implemented jointly by the Lanka Phosphate Company, the Sintech Institution and the Colombo University. The Ministry said this would be the first step of a national plan to manufacture required organic fertilizer locally.
This decision was made at a discussion held at the Ministry by Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage with the participation of Lanka Phosphate Company Chairman Sujeewa Indrajith Karunasinghe and Professor Nilwala Kottegoda of the Colombo University together with representatives of the Sintech Institution.
Information revealed through various research indicates that Phosphate deposits in the world will be used up in 40 years’ time but Geologists have pointed out that the Eppawala Phosphate deposit is a massive national resource which can be used for another 200 years.
The Eppawala Phosphate deposit has been categorized as one of the high-grade deposits in the world and Geologists have calculated that there is in excess of 60 million metric tons of Phosphate in this deposit. Although production commenced in the year 1975, even today, the Eppawala Phosphate deposit has not been used properly for producing fertilizer.
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