Rs.1244 paid as fertiliser subsidy in Anuradhapura district

Deputy Agrarian Development Commissioner Kelum Dissanayake told Daily  News that Rs.1244 million has been paid to the farmers  as fertilizer subsidy so far and it has been calculated that Rs.  2812 M was required to pay the subsidy in the Anuradhapura district.

Anuradhapura District Secretary K.G.R. Wimalasooriya told Daily News that  during the ongoing Maha cultivation season 2024/25 around 119,700 hectares have been cultivated with paddy out of 136,490 hectares of irrigable paddy lands in  Anuradhapura district. The payment of fertilizer subsidy in cash on the basis of  maximum Rs. 50,000 for two hectares to nearly 96,000 paddy farmers in  the district was being accelerated. Every farmer engaged in paddy  cultivation in the district is issued 50kg of M.O.P fertiliser on the  50% subsidy basis as another incentive.

Arrangements have been made  to issue adequate urea fertiliser at Rs.7,500 per 50kg bag from the 45  agrarian development centers in the district. There is adequate  irrigational water available in 13 major tanks and large number of  medium and small scale tanks, Wimalasooriya said. It has been found that companies engaged in fertiliser manufacturing, distributing, storing and selling have failed to maintain the qualitativeness of the fertiliser. At a recently held field inspection conducted by the district fertiliser authorities it has been found that in many fertiliser samples scientifically examined by the authorities compulsory substances and ingredients that need to be contained in them were missing and standard was poor and unsatisfactory. Also the packing side was not properly executed and the description of the particular fertiliser variety appearing on the packing in writing or having been printed outside not tallying with what the contents bagged in the pack were.

“At the inspection of some stocks of Triple Supper Phosphate marketed by a private agriculture company for sale in Anuradhapura district it was found that there was a fowl smell emanating from the fertiliser variety.

Anuradhapura district Deputy Director of the National fertiliser Secretary A.T. Ajith Kumara told Daily News that the distribution and sale of the fertiliser found entangled with various shortcomings and defection was banned until errors have been correctly rectified while defaulters were reported to the fertiliser director of the NFS for further action.

The post Rs.1244 paid as fertiliser subsidy in Anuradhapura district appeared first on DailyNews.