One important lesson that Indian farmers must learn is never to believe without trying and applying what others are imposing on them. They will understand this more once they know what happened in Sri Lanka for which farmers and the citizens of Sri Lanka had to pay a massive price.

As a result of the sudden ban [on chemical fertilizer in May 2021], overall food production in Sri Lanka in the 2021 season was 40%-50% lower than last year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said. Rice productivity dropped by about 33%. A similar 35% percent productivity drop in the tea crop.

Farmers as well as the local population struggled with low food grain availability through the season until the ban was revoked in November 2021.

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Indian farmer must understand that they cannot replace chemical fertilizer completely with organic fertilizer without reducing their yield and income. What they can do is to increase the organic content of soil which will help them increase yield. Organic farming is a rich farmer’s concept that is not applicable in India as 80% of the 14 crore [140 million] farmers have small land holdings. They can do organic farming on 1/3 of your land but must not expect good returns. They must also be ready to bear losses in case the crop gives a bad yield or you don’t get good prices for the produce in the market.

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