Fertiliser subsidy to cost Govt over Rs. 48,000 m

by L. S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

The fertiliser subsidy will cost the Government over Rs. 48,000 million, said Director, National Fertiliser Secretariat (NFS) Ranjan Dharmawardena.

The Government has decided to extend the fertiliser subsidy to cover all crops with immediate effect apart from the paddy, coconut and rubber crops.

The Government will incur an additional Rs. 15,600 million as a result, he said.

According to the Government’s decision a 50Kg bag of mixed fertiliser will cost Rs. 1,300 and a 50 Kg bag of unmixed fertilised Rs. 1,200 while the paddy fertiliser at Rs. 350 per bag will remain unchanged.

The decision to extend the fertiliser subsidy to cover all crops is a big relief to cultivators who paid exhorbitant prices for fertiliser in the open market, he said.

Sri Lanka imports over 900,000 M.T. of fertiliser annually.