In an interesting turn of events, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa today said that the government's policy on organic fertiliser will remain unchanged and Sri Lanka will only focus on "green agriculture".

The President has said that the government will only distribute organic fertilizer and provides subsidies only for organic farming. This, however, contradicted the statement issued by Prof. Uditha Jayasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry Of Agriculture.

The President emphasized that farmers should be properly educated and that the chemical fertilizer mafia should be identified in its implementation and that the commitment of the officials to fight with it and win the right thing is essential.

The President has stated this at a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (22) regarding the cultivation of the Maha season and the supply of organic fertilizer, the Presidential Media Unit announced.

The President has inquired from officials at the district level regarding the cultivation of paddy and other crops in all parts of the country.

The officials said that the heavy rains had reduced the yield of many crops including vegetables and the delay in the distribution of organic manure had affected the cultivation activities in the Maha season but at the district level nearly 70% of the total cultivable lands had been cultivated.

The President pointed out that the reason for farmers to engage in protests and delay cultivation was that they were not properly informed.

A statement issued by the Presidential Media Unit states that the President has expressed his displeasure to the officials for not educating the farmers properly.

The President stressed that the officials should take action to find answers on behalf of the protesting farmers and added that there is no obstacle for the officials who do not agree with the government's policy to leave.