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Farmers, Catholics and Buddhists against pesticide poisoning
by Melani Manel Perera
The use of pesticide contaminates food, is dangerous to humans and kills animals, insects and plants. During a sit-in, environmental activists, Catholic movements and Buddhist monks mention the Padaviya case in which about 20,000 people died from arsenic poisoning.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – “Let us live without poisons” is the demand made by the farmers of the National Movement against Poisons to the government of Sri Lanka during a symbolic protest against agrichemical multinationals.
The association staged a symbolic demonstration on 27 June to push Sri Lankan authorities to stop the use of pesticides and chemical products harmful to the environment and to return to natural and sustainable agriculture.
Some 150 farmers met outside the main entrance to the Bandaranayake Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo. They were joined by a number of peasant, environmental and Catholic organisations (like the Kithu Dana Pubuduwa), as well as Buddhist monks.
During the sit-in, many activists addressed the meeting, explaining that the use of pesticides in agriculture contaminates the food, making it dangerous for human consumption, as well deadly for animals, insects and the plants themselves. The protest took place simultaneously in an award ceremony for the "efficient farmers" (Soora Goviya), organized by the CIC, a leading company in agrochemicals, to highlight their opposition to the use of pesticides.
Contacted by AsiaNews, Sarath Fernando, Movement for National Land and Agriculture Reform moderator, said, “We are all aware of the recent issue of arsenic poisoning caused by agrochemicals. In Padaviya (in the Central Province of the country, Anuradhapura district), about 20,000 people have died so far due to a mysterious disease caused by arsenic poisoning from agrochemicals. Some scientists have revealed this through their researches.”
The National Movement against Poisons is an umbrella organisation for a number of farm groups, in Colombo and other districts.
In fact, to participate the sit-in in Colombo, other representatives came from the districts of Badulla Mahiyanganaya, Eppawela, Kurunegala, Pollonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.