Courtesy Hiru News

It was reported to Hiru News team that Sri Lanka had received the patent for the production of nano nitrogen fertilizer which can be applied to the soil even though nano nitrogen liquid fertilizer was imported from India.

This fertilizer developed in 2010 using nanotechnology, specializes in minimizing the amount of urea released to the soil and environment.

However, it is reported that the patent for these nano nitrogen fertilizers produced by a research team including Professor Nilwala Kottegoda, a scientist at the Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), was later sold to a fertilizer company in India.

A senior official of SLINTEC told the Hiru News team that the technology was sold for US $ 3 million subject to the approval of the Sri Lankan government. A senior official of SLINTEC stated that the money was used for the development activities of SLINTEC.

Meanwhile, the University Teachers’ Association said in a statement that it does not recommend the use of nanotechnology for organic farming.

The University Teachers’ Association further states that fertilizers produced by nanotechnology are synthetically developed and therefore not used as organic fertilizers and the liquid fertilizer compound containing nitrogen recommended for spraying on the leaves is 4 percent.

The university lecturers said that the synthetically developed nanotechnology fertilizer, which was approved by the Indian Department of Agriculture for large-scale commercial production in March, could not meet the plant’s nitrogen requirements.

Meanwhile, an adjournment debate was held in Parliament today regarding the fertilizer issue