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| Sunday, 14 March 2004 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Urea subsidy to benefit small coconut growers Urea consumption in the country has increased by 170 per cent during the last year,according to Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) statistics. This was mainly due to the introduction of 2 to 3 kg urea subsidised packs to the market, said CCB Chairman Lincoln Fernando. This year the CCB would supply more than one million subsidised urea packs to small growers in the country to meet the increasing demand, he said. These small packs were in big demand among the small coconut growers, who accounted for more than 60 per cent of the total land area under coconut cultivation in the country. Those who had less than one- and- half acres of coconut land came the category of small growers. Lack of fertiliser application was the main cause of the poor output experienced for some time, which had rendered unproductive harvests with the passage of time,he added. Home gardening had not received a balance quantity of manure hitherto but immensely benefited with the introduction of this new concept. Medium to large scale growers were relieved of the hassle of claiming the subsidy reimbursement by the government, he added. According to the CCB, more than 800,000 3-kg packs and 200,000 2-kg urea packs would be released to the market this year depending on the availability of funds and they would be sold at a subsidised price. According to Fernando, last year 800 000 3kg packs and 200,000 2 kg packs were sold by the CCB. The subsidy of Rs. 2,750 per MT had now been increased to Rs 5000, while the subsidy of Rs 500 per MT for dolomite still continued. The country's annual coconut requirement was more than 3 billion nuts and this could be achieved by encouraging small growers in the country. HHS |
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