(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the extent of paddy fields expected to be cultivated in the 2023 Yala season will exceed 700,000 hectares due to the free mud fertilizer (Triple Super Phosphate) provided by the government.
Before the fertilizer subsidy was given, 570,000 hectares of paddy fields were expected to be cultivated in the Yala season.
The Ministry of Agriculture said these figures were disclosed in a discussion held between the Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera and all the provincial agriculture authorities of the island and officials of the Mahaweli Authority.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that in order to reduce the production costs of the farmers, every farmer will be given a subsidy of 20,000 rupees per hectare to buy fertilizer this year.
Also, the announcement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture further states that the companies have agreed to reduce the prices of herbicides and pesticides by 20 percent as requested by the farmers.
