Fertiliser subsidy to stay on

By L.S.A. Wedaarachchi

[email protected]
 

Government will continue with the fertiliser subsidy without any change until the end of the Yala season, Secretary, Ministry of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services T.M. Abayawickrama said.

Seventy five percent of the Yala fertiliser has been already distributed among the farmers. The balance will be issued at the subsidised price of Rs. 350 per 50 kg fertiliser bag until the end of Yala season end of August, he said.

The Secretary said that the fertiliser subsidy to be issued this year is estimated to cost around Rs. 15 billion. The fertiliser prices have risen worldwide by threefold.

According to the latest quotations which were received by the government, it would cost the government Rs. 40 billion to provide the fertiliser subsidy. Under the above circumstances government is seriously considering increasing the price of a subsidised 50 kg fertiliser bag, he said.

The fertiliser prices in the open market are, urea bag - Rs. 3,750, T.S.P. fertiliser bag Rs. 7,000, and MOP fertiliser bag Rs. 4,200. Abeywickrama said that a series of meetings were being held islandwide with the representatives of the farmer organisations and officials of the Agricultural Development and Agrarian services on agricultural matters including the supply of subsidised fertiliser.

The government takes decisions related to the farmer community after considering them, he said.