Sri Lanka economic disaster

GMO corruption case

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka's 2021 'anti-GMO hysteria' and organic farming disaster

In 2021, the president of Sri Lanka went on a reckless spending spree for personal gain by which after just one year Government employees could not be paid any more - and because of which he had to flee the country due to riots. The president then said that the IMF is the 'only option' with a $2.9 billion USD bailout.

The IMF has been involved in the forcing of GMO in countries through economic sanctions. This makes the bailout suspicious.

In 2021, Sri Lanka imported $179 million USD worth of GMO food, despite it's supposed GMO ban, and was already cultivating GMO food to be commercialized in 2023.

The economic collapse was officially blamed to be caused by a '100% organic farming experiment' (GMO ban).

The president of Sri Lanka said that the only option to recover from the economic collapse is through the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The irony of ironies. An institution which across the globe has been acknowledged as anti-people, elitist and responsible for increasing poverty, misery and destitution across dozens of countries, is now being seen as the only saviour for the people in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka.

(2023) 'Only option to emerge from crisis is to seek the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)' Sri Lanka President said on economic collapse. Source: 🇮🇳 Mint

🇭🇺 Hungary and the IMF

🇭🇺 Hungary was punished economically for banning GMO. The country had to throw out the International Monetary Fund (IMF) along with GMO to get rid of it!

History

In 2021 Sri Lanka started a '100% organic farming' experiment and GMO ban. The Genetic Literacy Project, the primary channel of the pro-GMO science establishment, spoke of an 'anti-GMO-hysteria' and a reckless embrace of 'green politics' that resulted in an economic disaster that drove millions of children into starvation.

(2023) Sri Lanka’s disastrous ‘green’ embrace of anti-GMO hysteria When ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa banned GMO in 2021, agricultural production quickly dropped by 40%. When he fled the country due to riots in July, 7 out of 10 families were cutting down on food, and 1.7 million Lankan children risked dying from malnutrition. Source: Genetic Literacy Project (PDF)

The primary channel of the science establishment in the US, The American Council on Science, seeks to blame anti-GMO groups for causing the economic collapse in Sri Lanka.

(2022) Anti-GMO Groups Deflect Blame for Sri Lanka's Economic Disaster Sri Lanka ran an evil experiment on its citizens last year. Under the sway of organic-food and anti-GMO activists, the government banned imports of synthetic pesticides and enforced a transition of the country to all-organic agriculture, leaving the vast majority of farmers without access to the vital tools they use to grow the crops their country depends on. Source: The American Council on Science (PDF)

A US report confirmed that GMO food was already produced in Sri Lanka and is awaiting legislation for commercialisation in 2023. In 2021, the year of the experiment, Sri Lanka imported $179 million USD worth of GMO food from the US.

US report on GMO crop cultivation legislation in Sri Lanka

(2023) US report confirms GMO food production in Sri Lanka The United States and Sri Lanka have a mutually beneficial agricultural trade relationship. The import of Genetic Engineered (GE) crops and animals was worth $179 million in 2021. However, Sri Lanka does not yet export GMO products to the United States. A draft legal framework for Biosecurity legislation for the enactment of the National Biosecurity Act is with the Legal Draftsman's Department and is awaiting the approval of the Attorney General and the Cabinet. Source: AgricultureInformation.lk (PDF)

Corruption

A Sri Lankan source indicates that the reason for empty Government coffers was primarily caused by the sprinkling of generous subsidies for personal gain. Such profound unethical behaviour during a 100% organic farming experiment is illogical.

(2023) Is the organic farming policy the cause of Sri Lanka's economic crisis? What is the truth? For political gain they sprinkled subsidies to various departments. That has become a major cause of empty coffers. At present, the government has no money even to pay the salaries of the government employees. Source: (PDF)

Sri Lanka's economy is based on tourism and the organic farming experiment was started during the corona pandemic which caused the tourism industry to be badly affected.

Sri Lanka vacations - Guided nature tours and expeditions

Secondly, everything in Sri Lanka, from industries to agriculture is dependent on imports of raw materials while the Government banned the import of some raw materials and demanded that farmers produced them domestically, causing a major shortage.

Sri Lankan farmers were used to apply chemical fertilizers and all of the sudden those fertilizers were banned and the farmers were forced to shift to organic farming. This caused confusion with many farmers about what to do. Most of the farmers had no experience with organic farming.

When switching from chemical farming to organic farming there is a period of loss of yield that later recovers to conventional yield. The farmers were unable to overcome that period of low yield during a pandemic crisis period with high prices. The price of goods kept going up. Meanwhile, the Government banned the import of raw materials from low price countries such as India and demanded that the farmers produced all raw materials domestically, resulting in a shortage of raw materials.

Summary of facts

• The Genetic Literacy Project (a channel of the GMO industry) speaks of an 'anti-GMO-hysteria' but in 2021 the year of the supposed GMO ban $179 million USD worth of GMO food was imported from the US and GMO food for export was already produced in Sri Lanka awaiting official - planned - legislation in 2023.
• The '100% organic farming' experiment was started during the corona pandemic with rising prices for goods.
• Most of the small farmers had no experience with organic farming and all of the sudden they were forced to change their ways.
• The import of raw materials required for farming was banned and farmers were demanded to produce them domestically, causing a major shortage of raw materials.
• The president emptied the state coffers with generous subsidies for personal gain in just 1 year time due to which Government employees could not be paid any more.
• The president claims that the IMF is the only solution for the crisis with a $2.9 billion USD bailout while the IMF has been involved in enforcing GMO in other countries through economic sanctions.
• The organic farming failure causes resistance to GMO agriculture to be weakened.

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