Biofilm Bio-fertiliser offers fully natural and organic solution to CKD

Dusantha Jayasinghe

Pro. Gamini Senavirathne

S.H. Chandralatha

Sunil Manathunga

The current Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) crisis in Sri Lanka has materialised due to the excess use of agrochemicals and chemical fertilisers over the last few decades. Thirteen people die every day in the North Central Province due to CKD and there are more than 100,000 CKD patients island-wide, according to figures recorded by the Preventive Health, Environmental Protection and Research Organisation (PHEPRO) (www.anandacollege.net/document/14030810Olcott_Oration_2013.pdf).

Against this backdrop, fresh hope has dawned in the form of a next generation, patented bio-fertiliser which has been developed over a period of 10 years by a group of Sri Lankan scientists from the Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS). This revolutionary product, which is a world first for Sri Lanka, can replace up to 50% of chemical fertiliser usage in major commercial croplands and increase yield by 20-30%.

This new bio-fertiliser has been field-tested for many years across many major agricultural disciplines. After obtaining excellent results through these extensive field trials, Biofilm has been introduced to vegetables, fruits, floriculture, tea and cinnamon.

The chief research scientist involved in discovering Biofilm Bio-fertiliser, Prof. Gamini Seneviratne from the National Institute of Fundamental Studies said that ‘Biofilm’ was not a compost product but was categorised as a biological fertiliser. 

Biofilm Bio-fertiliser is manufactured with soil beneficiary microbes. Furthermore, Prof. Seneviratne noted that the use of Biofilm would revive Sri Lanka’s soil, which has been destroyed due to excess use of chemical fertilisers and agrochemicals and will also help to curtail the spread of CKD and cancers. 

A unique feature of Biofilm Bio-fertiliser is that it helps to bring about natural ecosystems found in rainforests and agrarian lands, he further noted.

Farmers in Nuwara Eliya, Kandapola and Meepilimana who have used Biofilm Bio-fertiliser revealed that they were able to obtain higher yields and make stronger profits thanks to this remarkable invention. 

“I was able to halve fertiliser use. The plant growth rate is higher than before. The crop was healthy and of good quality even during rainy season. With Biofilm we can give vegetables free of chemical contaminants to customers. Our country needs products like these,” farmer Sunil Manathunga said.

“With Biofilm, our use of chemical fertilisers has reduced. Healthy plants were observed. This is a good solution to the country’s excess use of chemical fertilisers,” another farmer S.H. Chandralatha stated.

“It has been around eight months since I have started using Biofilm. This bio-fertiliser has produced very good results. Usually it takes around three to four months to produce a crop of leeks but after using Biofilm, I was able to harvest leeks within three months. Harvested vegetables had good weight and colour. Yield increased by around 20%,” Dushantha Jayasinghe revealed.

“I have been farming for around 15 to 20 years. We had a major issue with agrochemicals but with ‘Biofilm’ the use of agrochemicals can be reduced. We can also get higher yields from ‘Biofilm’,” Arunashantha Hettiarachchi said

Since Biofilm Bio-fertiliser is 100% natural and organic, it offers farmers a great opportunity to obtain high yields even through organic farming.

The benefits of using Biofilm bio-fertiliser in farming are listed below.

• Reduces chemical fertiliser usage and obtains high yields from organic farming methods
• Reduces the overall fertilising cost
• Obtains 20-30% higher yields
• Develops a strong root system
• Enhances natural pest and disease control
• Improves nitrogen fixation and phosphorus dilution in the soil
• Increases organic matter in the soil and gives new life to it
• Increases microbial diversity in the soil and improves its condition

From a national point of view, the use of fully natural and organic products such as Biofilm Bio-fertiliser will undoubtedly help to limit the use of agrochemicals and chemical fertilisers, which will subsequently save farmers and the general public from life-threatening health problems in future. The use of Biofilm Bio-fertiliser will also save the country billions of rupees in foreign exchange by reducing the import of chemicals.