Rs 30b subsidised fertiliser this year

by L. S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

Thirty billion rupees worth of fertiliser will be made available to farmers at the subsidised price of Rs. 350 for a 50 Kg bag this year. Fertiliser distribution for Yala season has already commenced, said National Fertiliser Secretariat (NFS) Director Ranjan Dharmawardena.

He said that the necessary instructions and guidelines on the supply of fertiliser to the farmers have been issued to all State agencies including the Ceylon Fertiliser Corporation, Colombo Commercial Company, the Department of Agrarian Services, the Mahaveli Authority and the Government Agents.

"The government policy is to guarantee the uninterrupted supply of fertiliser to the farmers.

A sum of Rs. 8.3 billion has been allocated in the Vote on Account to ensure the fertiliser supply in the first four months of the current year".

He said that steps have been taken to contain all malpractices that occurred during previous years. Farmers have been made aware of the mechanism devised to ensure a smooth distribution of fertiliser to the farmer community.

"Imported fertiliser is routinely checked for quality standards at the Colombo port before being distributed locally.

The prevailing commercial price of a 50 Kg fertiliser bag is Rs. 3500 in the open market. The government bares 90 per cent of the value of a bag of fertiliser, Director Dharmawardena said.