No fertilizer shortage: Govt. confirms surplus stocks

Farmers should not develop unnecessary fear regarding the current fertilizer situation in the country, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne stated.

The Deputy Minister claimed that there is currently a surplus of fertilizer stocks in the country, exceeding the required amounts.

He made these remarks while participating in an observational visit regarding fertilizer distribution at the Moragollagama Agrarian Service Center.

Expressing his views further, the Deputy Minister noted that there are more than sufficient quantities of TSP fertilizer and MOP fertilizer needed for paddy cultivation during the Maha season.

He revealed that although around 13,000 metric tons of fertilizer were used during the previous Yala season, there are currently about 38,000 metric tons of MOP fertilizer available in the country.

To address the minor shortage that existed with regard to urea fertilizer, a new shipment of 25,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer has recently arrived in the country. He added that the available fertilizer stocks are being distributed through Agrarian Service Centers.

Due to the rise in global fertilizer prices amid the conflict in the Middle East, the retail price of a new fertilizer bag has increased to around Rs. 17,000. However, through government intervention, steps have been taken to provide the same fertilizer bag to farmers at a subsidized price of Rs. 10,200. The government has also increased the fertilizer subsidy to ease the financial burden on farmers, the Deputy Minister said.

The fertilizer subsidy, which was previously Rs. 30,000 for two hectares, was increased to Rs. 50,000 after the new government came into power, and has now been further raised to Rs. 60,000, effectively doubling it, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne.

The Deputy Minister further stated that, at a time when people are facing hardships due to the Middle East conflict, the government is committed to providing maximum possible support to the farming community.