Govt. to provide subsidy for organic fertilisers; chemical fertilisers at market price

With a view to promote organic farming, the government plans to provide organic fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates while supplying required chemical fertilisers at market price through the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Cabinet Co-Spokesperson and the Plantation Minister Ramesh Pathirana yesterday clarified the new government policy on chemical fertilisers at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held virtually, after lifting the short-lived import ban on chemical fertilisers. 

“The government has given the freedom to the Agriculture Ministry to import required quantities of chemical fertilisers, but the policy of the government to give prominence to organic cultivations remains. Hence, the organic fertiliser will be provided at a subsidised rate, but the chemical fertilisers once imported into the country will be sold at the market rate,” he explained.

However, he didn’t specify the subsidised rate of organic fertilisers, which would be given to farmers.

Moving forward, he was hopeful the proper mixture of organic and chemical fertilisers would improve the agricultural output.

“We are hopeful that the proper mixture of organic and chemical fertilisers will provide more impetus and our productivity in production will gradually go up.”