Storage facilities a snag for distribution of fertiliser - Farmers

Nimal Wijesinghe, Anuradhapura Additional district group corr

There is no uniform system of distributing fertiliser subsidy in Anuradhapura district the farmers organisations of Nachchaduwa, Dewahuwa, Huruluwewa, Ganewelpola, Rajangane, Palugaswewa and Mahawilachchiya have alleged.

The representatives of several farmer organisations have brought to the notice of the District Agriculture Committee Anuradhapura that the lack of village level fertiliser storage facilities have been a hinderance in the smooth distribution of fertiliser to the farmers in time and adequately.

The Chairman of the Farmers Federation S.M.G. Samarakoon of Huruluwewa colonisation Scheme said that earlier there was a move initiated by the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services jointly with the North Central Provincial council to put up a fertiliser stores complex in each of the 40 agrarian services areas in Anuradhapura district, which is yet to be accomplished.

He said we the farmers urge the Government to make fertiliser, namely urea TSP and MOG varieties freely available in the market even at a price below Rs. 1,000 per bag, in spite of the fertiliser subsidy under which a bag of 50 kilograms of fertiliser is offered to the farmer at Rs. 350.

According to the Agrarian Services sources the total requirement of subsidised fertiliser in the district urea is 90379.29 metric tons.

By February 2008, only 37,086 metric tons of Urea TSP and MOG have been distributed, raising an issue as to whether the farmers had received the quotas of fertiliser subsidy in time. The management of Lak Pohora company a major component is supplying fertiliser subsidy to the Department of Agrarian Services has told the District Agricultural Committee that they required additional storage facilities to enable the company to distribute fertiliser without any interruption in the future cultivation seasons.

The District Sales Manager of Lak Pohora has admitted that due to inadequate storage facilities the company possessed during the ongoing Maha season several shortcomings were experienced in distributing fertiliser.

The Government Agent and the Secretary of the District Agriculture Committee H.M.K. Herath has requested the company to point out the suitable buildings which could be utilised for storage purposes in the district to enable him to release them for storing fertiliser subsidy.