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| Sunday, 26 September 2004 |
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Politics |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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No fertilizer shortage, UNP misleading public by Chamitha Kuruppu Agriculture, Lands, Irrigation and Livestock Minister, Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday blamed the United National Party (UNP) for misleading the country by claiming a fertilizer shortage and a further hike in fertilizer prices. "The country has a stock of 80,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer at present and a shipment of 40,000 metric tonnes is scheduled to reach the country shortly," Dissanayake told the Sunday Observer. Private institutions too have commenced replacing their orders. Therefore, this stock of fertilizer is adequate till January next year, added the minister. The main opposition UNP last week claimed that the country is short of fertilizer for the forthcoming 'Maha' harvesting season while warning that the government was planning to further increase prices up to Rs. 600 a bag of urea. According to world market prices the local prices should reach Rs. 900 but the government has decided to increase the existing subsidy and provide fertilizer for local farmers at the current price, assured Dissanayake. A bag of 50 kg urea is currently priced at Rs. 534 and the government provide, a subsidy of Rs. 15,000 per metric tonne of urea. According to Agriculture Ministry statistics the Maha season commencing next month requires around 150,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer. |
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