# This country tried to go 100% organic and crashed its economy | Full Episode

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In 2021 Sri Lanka's then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa made a bold decision. He banned the importation of artificial fertilisers, pesticides, and weedicides. Sri Lanka's agricultural industry became 100 per cent organic overnight.

Fertiliser costs were on the rise and the government's budget was hit badly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns around chemicals and illness also played a significant role in President Rajapaksa’s plan.

It was hoped the ban would help cut expenditure and improve foreign exchange, as well as address concerns about the health effects of using chemicals in food production.

It didn't work out.

In this episode, Dateline visits tea plantations and meets organic gurus to see what Australia can learn from a fast-tracked green revolution.

This episode was originally broadcasted in 2022.

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- What it is: Full episode
- Series: [Full episodes from SBS Dateline](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/library/rights-holders/series/f7548ac20c91)
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- Length: 23 min
- Rights holder: [News & Current Affairs | Dateline](http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline) (its site links the channel: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/dateline)
- Channel: [SBS Dateline](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY_Bq1AF0xvPUjaAqV7kweA)
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