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For decades, farmers in Sri Lanka have been the mainstay of the powerful Rajapaksa ruling political clan.
But the country’s agricultural sector has been hit hard by the government-imposed fertilizer ban last year, which led to production failure and a hunger crisis.
Amid the severe economic crisis, farmers have joined protests demanding the removal of the ruling Rajapaks.
The failure came after the country’s president banned years of imports of agricultural chemicals in a desperate attempt to avoid bankruptcy, writes the AFP network.
The initiative was initially portrayed as the impetus for Sri Lanka to become the first nation with entirely organic farming.
But it turned out to be a disaster that hit both farmers ’production and incomes, brought about rising prices of fuel, food and medicine.
“This destruction came from people sitting in air-conditioned rooms who do not understand agriculture,” said the 66-year-old head of the rice growers’ association.
He called the plan “crazy”, arguing that experts and farmers had clearly expressed their opposition.
“Despite opposition, the government continued to impose harsh rules on us, and in the end they failed,” he told AFP.
“All commodity prices have risen, living is unaffordable, hunger is everywhere, so people have already rejected the government,” he added.
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