Cases / Agriculture, livestock and food · Sri Lanka · 2021
Sri Lanka fertiliser ban
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
In 2021 Sri Lanka banned chemical fertiliser as part of an organic farming drive and reversed the ban within months. The main-season rice harvest fell by about 40%.
about 40%Fall in main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest
S&P Global, August 2022. The World Bank reports a 32-40% fall in paddy yield, a separate measure.
S&P Global, August 2022. The World Bank reports a 32-40% fall in paddy yield, a separate measure.
Status As of August 2022 reporting: the ban was lifted in 2021; the main-season rice harvest was about 40% lower; the cause of the wider crisis remained disputed.
What?
A 2021 ban on chemical fertiliser, lifted within seven months, followed by a fall of about 40% in the main-season rice harvest. S&P Global
Where?
Sri Lanka. Inquirer (AFP)
When?
2021; harvest fall measured for Maha 2021/22. S&P Global
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
- Small producers — Bore the cost of the state ban, according to the Inquirer/AFP report. Inquirer (AFP)
Harmed
None on recordWhy?
The ban was part of an organic farming drive. Inquirer (AFP)
How?
The government banned chemical fertiliser overnight. Down To Earth
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
In 2021 Sri Lanka's government under Rajapaksa banned chemical fertiliser overnight, according to Down To Earth. The move was part of an organic farming drive.
The ban was lifted within seven months. In November 2021 the Inquirer, citing AFP, reported that Sri Lanka had ended the farm chemical ban as the organic drive failed.
The main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest fell by about 40%, according to S&P Global. The World Bank reports a fall in paddy yield of 32-40%, which is a separate measure. Rice imports rose from 15,770 tonnes to 147,091 tonnes, and compensation exceeded US$200 million.
The causes of Sri Lanka's economic crisis are disputed. Down To Earth wrote that the main causes were debt, lost tourism and economic policy, and the foreign-exchange crisis had begun before the ban.
- 2021Chemical fertiliser banned overnight; ban lifted within seven months (November 2021 report: Sri Lanka ends farm chemical ban as organic drive fails)
- 2022Maha 2021/22 rice harvest about 40% lower (S&P Global, August 2022); crisis debate in the press
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
What caused Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and what part did the fertiliser ban play?
Press and investigations
Down To Earth
The ban was imposed overnight, but the main causes of the crisis were debt, lost tourism and economic policy.
Down To EarthPress and investigations
Substack and US right-wing press commentary (2022)
Presented Sri Lanka as an 'ESG champion' that collapsed because of green dogma, with the ban as the single cause.
Government and regulators
Government of Sri Lanka
No account of its own is on record in the sources reviewed.
What does the episode show about organic farming?
Company or project
Bayer
Described the Sri Lankan transition as excessive and said it would not fully replace chemicals.
AgFunderNewsPress and investigations
Inquirer (AFP)
Reported that the organic drive failed and the ban was ended.
Inquirer (AFP)How it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
Recorded
- Sri Lanka banned chemical fertiliser overnight in 2021.
- The ban was ended in November 2021 as the organic drive failed.
- Main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest fell by about 40%.
- Paddy yield fell by 32-40% (World Bank; separate measure).
- Rice imports rose from 15,770 tonnes to 147,091 tonnes; compensation exceeded US$200 million.
- The state ban's cost was borne by small producers.
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
No figure published.
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
Currency: USD · Window: 2021-2022. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.
Responses on record
- bayer (2023): Described the Sri Lankan transition as excessive and said it would not fully replace chemicals. · AgFunderNews
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Main-season rice harvest
about -40%
Maha 2021/22 (S&P Global)
Paddy yield
-32 to -40%
World Bank; separate measure
Rice imports
15,770 t to 147,091 t
Years not specified in the record
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Accounts
- Disputed What caused Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and what part did the fertiliser ban play?
- Disputed What does the episode show about organic farming?
- None on record Government of Sri Lanka: No account of its own is on record in the sources reviewed.
Record
- None on record No record in the sources reviewed shows that the fertiliser industry designed the crisis.
Did the harm stop?
The ban was lifted within seven months of being imposed.
Who paid?
Small producers, according to the Inquirer/AFP report.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers✓ International bodies
Press and investigations
- Sri Lanka ends farm chemical ban as organic drive failsInquirer (AFP) · 2021-11
- Is organic farming responsible for Sri Lanka's economic crisis?Down To Earth · 2022
International bodies
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
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