Govt. allocated Rs. 40,000m for fertiliser subsidy this year - Agrarian Services Minister

Mohammed Naalir

The Government has allocated Rs. 40,000 million for the fertiliser subsidy for 2008, while it has allocated Rs. 67,000 million for next year, Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithripala Sirisena told a media briefing at Ceylon Fertilizer Company auditorium yesterday.

Minister Sirisena vehemently denying allegations made by the UNP and JVP on the fertiliser subsidy said the Government has no intention to curtail the fertiliser subsidy.

He said maintaining the paddy price at a stable level and granting the fertiliser subsidy is a bitter pill to swallow. The Government is sending fertiliser to Jaffna under its subsidy programme. Minister Sirisena also said that 2,535 metric tons of fertiliser costing Rs. 17 million has been dispatched to Jaffna.

The Government is engaged in purchasing paddy through the Paddy Marketing Board and relevant district Secretaries, he added.

Nearly 700,000 acres of land have been utilised for cultivation in the Eastern Province under new development efforts. He said that with the implementation of the Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu Project, the paddy harvest has increased by 15 per cent.

Acting Director of the Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry Kamala Uyanwatta and National Fertiliser Secretariat Director General Ranjan Dharmawardane were also present.