Salary arrears for CCFL retirees

Irangika Range

RETIREMENT BENEFITS: Colombo Commercial Fertiliser Limited (CCFL) which is under the Agricultural Development Ministry has paid salary arrears including ETF and EPF to its retired and deceased employees who worked at the company from 1994 to 1997.

The CCFL had been shut down from 1994 to 1997 and these employees have faced many difficulties during the time.

The Ministry has understood this situation and has granted nearly Rs.2.5 million to 20 employees as a first stage in Colombo recently.

The company will grant around Rs. 6 million for another 50 employees within the next five months.

Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said that the Company has become a profitable institute at present engaging in the fertiliser business for the past few years under the Government's fertiliser subsidy,"he said.

"Even though it was closed for nearly three years, with the Government policy of not selling Government owned organisations to the private sector and convert them to be the profitable institutions by implementing business friendly strategies, the company has shown a progress today," he said. CCFL's Competent Authority N.S.M. Samsudeen said that the company will manufacture organic fertilisers next month.

This decision would benefit tea, rubber and coconut cultivation in the country. The company has a best storage capacity to store fertiliser and will issue sufficient fertiliser stocks at a concessionary rate of Rs. 350 to meet the farmers' demand for the forthcoming Maha season.

The company has also expanded its distributorship throughout the country.