Sri Lankan crisis: When green fanatics get taken seriously – by Ravi Shanker Kapoor (Sunday Guardian – April 9, 2022)

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Rajapaksas made the fatal mistake of forcing the nation to go organic by outlawing chemical fertilizers in April 2021.

What is more dangerous than the kiss of Judas? Infatuation with intellectuals’ ideas. Sri Lanka is suffering on account of both, but the latter has proved to be more lethal. While its association with China in infrastructure projects weakened it financially, its ban on fertilizers, promoted by green fanatics resulted in the worst economic crisis it has been facing since Independence in 1948.

By way of its Belt and Road Initiative, China has been able to ensnare Sri Lanka into a debt trap. Almost 10% of the island nation’s total foreign debt is in the form of concessionary loans. This is besides the commercial loans through Chinese state banks. Sri Lanka was forced to hand over the Hambantota port to China for 99 years.

India, on the other hand, has acted like a friend in need, extending a $500-million line of credit for fuel purchase, but that may not be adequate. For the situation is very bad.

For the rest of this article: https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/opinion/sri-lankan-crisis-green-fanatics-get-taken-seriously