Major fertilizer fraud detected

by L. S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

A fraud amounting to over Rs. 10 million from the Government fertiliser subsidy scheme has been detected by the Special Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Services.

The Director of the Investigation Unit A. A. Wickramasingha said that fertiliser issued to farmers at the rate of Rs. 350 per 50 kg bag has been bought at a higher rate by an organised business group."They have been sending the fertiliser to Walimada and Nuwara Eliya areas under the label `compost fertiliser' collected from Akkeraipattu and Sammanthurai poultry farms, he said. Investigations have revealed that a 50 kg subsidised fertiliser bag was sold at around Rs. 5,000 in Walimada and Nuwara Eliya. Wickramasingha said that the farmers are not allowed to resell subsidised fertiliser.

The regulation was amended recently after a lengthy discussion with Attorney General in this regard, he said. The suspects who are from Ganemulla, Valachchenai and Poonani said that they bought the excess fertiliser from the farmers.

According to the Public Property Act No.12 of 1982 the suspects of the subsidised fertiliser fraud are not granted bail by Courts.