Distribution of imported fertilizer begins

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Ministry of Agriculture says stocks of fertilizer were dispatched to the Ampara District today, as the first step to resolving the fertilizer shortage faced by farmers.

A stock of 30,000 metric tonnes of Organic Fertilizer required for the Maha Season from Lithuania, arrived at the Colombo Port yesterday.

This stock of fertilizer was set dispatched to the Agrarian Development Centres of the Ampara, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Trincomalee, and Hambantota districts, last night itself.

60 metric tonnes of Organic Fertilizer containing Potassium Chloride and 45 metric tonnes of organic fertilizer had reached the Lak Pohora Facility in Ampara.

The Maha Season will begin tomorrow in the Ampara district and the farmers in Ampara require close to 2500 metric tonnes of fertilizer for the cultivation.

The Sri Lanka National Farmers Organization represents 11,000 farmers' associations.

It says farmers will cultivate using organic fertilizer during the Maha cultivation season if four conditions are met.

The conditions were presented during a meeting with the agriculture minister.

They are;

01. Organic fertilizer must be distributed on time to agrarian service centers

02. The government must bear responsibility for the fertilizer

03. The government must accept responsibility and compensate farmers if their harvests reduce after using organic fertilizer.

04. Introduce a standard price for pesticides and weedicides

The agriculture minister had obtained the President’s approval for these conditions during the meeting.

The agriculture ministry said the Sri Lanka National Farmers Organization had agreed to support the cultivation of paddy using organic fertilizer.

The additional director of the National Plant Quarantine Service, Dr. W.A.R.T. Wickramaarachchi says imported fertilizer stocks have been tested.

At the same time Dr. Ajantha de Silva. the Director-General of Agriculture said natural mineral fertilizer was tested and there are separate laws to be followed while importing them.

"This fertilizer can be found in countries which were formerly part of Russia. We have to import it from countries like Lithuania," he said.