The government this week has granted permission to the tea industry to import nitrogen-based chemical fertiliser, the industry authorities told media. The decision is effective during the transition period from chemical to organic fertliser only, and the larger goal of a complete move to organic fertiliser will continue, authorities said. This is a change from a decision in April this year to almost overnight ban chemical fertliser imports -- a decision that was seen as impractical and detrimental to the industry. Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda announced yesterday (10) that the tea industry has been permitted to import “nitrogen-based chemical fertiliser” for the transitional period from chemical fertiliser to organic fertiliser, following the Government’s decision in late April this year to completely ban the use of chemical fertiliser within the country. “The government's decision is a pragmatic approach and is a temporary arrangement to provide the necessary balanced nutrients. It is not going back to the excessive use of chemical fertiliser era at all,' Tea Board Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda said yesterday.