Fertilizer importers have decided to reduce the price of Urea and tea fertilizer with immediate effect, it was reported yesterday.
Accordingly, the price of 50 Kg sack of Urea will be reduced by Rs.10,000 while the 50 Kg sack of tea fertilizer will be reduced by Rs.1,000 from this week. It was reported that the fertilizer importers have decided to reduce the price of fertilizer in line with the drop of the fertilizer prices in the world market.
A 50 Kg sack of Urea fertilizer was earlier being sold by the private sector at prices above Rs.38,000.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry will continue to provide a 50 Kg sack of Urea fertilizer at a subsidized price of Rs.10,000 for the paddy farmers in the upcoming Maha Season as well.
A request made in this regard by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has been accepted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Ministry said.
The minister has also instructed the officials of the Agriculture Ministry to take immediate steps to transport the required urea fertilizer stocks to the Ampara, Batticolor, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Anuradhapura and Monaragala districts, where the paddy cultivation of the Maha season is scheduled to be commenced within the first two weeks of October.
“Through the early distribution of the fertilizer to the large scale paddy cultivating districts, the ministry has encouraged them to engage in cultivations”, a ministry official said.
The ministry has also taken steps to provide the paddy farmers with Muriate of Potash (MoP) fertilizer for the Maha season and attempts are being made to find an able supplier to supply TSP fertilizer as soon as possible, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the ministry will provide the tea and maize cultivators with urea fertilized at a subsidized price of Rs.15,000 per 50 Kg.
Currently, there are about 35,000 MT of urea available in the country while the World Bank will be providing another 125, 000 MT of urea by next month. In addition, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization also would provide another 375, 000 sacks of urea (nearly 15, 000 MT) in the coming month.
This 15,000 MT will be provided to a selected group of farmers in the dry zone for free. An amount of 50 Kg of Urea per hectare will be provided to the farmers cultivating less than a hectare under this scheme.
