(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Wildlife Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera says the 65,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer provided by the Government of India will be delivered to Sri Lanka in the first two weeks of next month.
Participating in a discussion on the progress of foreign-funded agriculture projects under the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday (08), Minister Amaraweera said the stock of fertilizer was imported by the Indian government from Oman for their needs but they have decided to provide this stock of urea fertilizer considering the current shortage of fertilizer faced by farmers in our country.
As soon as the stock of fertilizer is received, it will be distributed to the farmers within two or three days by the network of National Fertilizer Secretariat Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Commercial Fertilizer Company, Lanka Fertilizer Company through the Farmers’ Centers, the Minister said.
Arrangements have been made to provide a bag of urea fertilizer to the farmers for a sum of Rs. 10,000 as agreed during discussions with the farmers’ representatives and officials, he said adding that when the prices were presented to the Cabinet, no one objected.
He said arrangements have been made to release this stock of fertilizer to farmers cultivating paddy in the Yala Season. However, farmers in some areas such as Ampara are not benefiting from the urea fertilizer as they are currently harvesting.
The Minister further stated that the target yield could be increased by applying urea fertilizer to the paddy fields which are currently under cultivation.
