(UTV | COLOMBO) – The distribution of the first batch of 44,000MT of 65,000MT of urea fertilizer received under the Indian Credit Line has commenced after it was stored at warehouses belonging to the state owned Ceylon Fertilizer Company Limited and the Colombo Commercial Fertilizer Limited.
The Department of Agriculture said 3,000MT of urea fertilizer has been distributed to Agrarian Service Centers across the island within a period of three days.
It was reported that the paddy yield decreased rapidly due to the decision to not provide urea fertilizer during the last three seasons.
Although the harvest of approximately three million MT of rice is usually obtained during the Maha season annually, during the 2021/2022 Maha season, due to cultivation without the use of urea fertilizer, the rice yield has decreased by 38-40 percent to 1.6 million MT.
However, former Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera said due to the decision to provide urea fertilizer from the current Yala season, more paddy fields have been cultivated than any other season.
Former Minister Amaraweera said another ship carrying 21,000MT of urea is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka within the next two weeks.
Plans have been formulated to provide the stock of fertilizer to farmers at the beginning of cultivation for the Maha season.
Furthermore, the World Bank has already agreed to provide USD 110 million in order to purchase 150,000MT of urea fertilizer for the 2022/2023 Maha season.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the procumbent process to purchase fertilizer has commenced.
