Farmers to get organic fertiliser free next year

Saturday, 15 December 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Deputy Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife S.M. Chandrasena says the Government will provide organic fertiliser to farmers free of charge next year.

The Minister stated that the organic fertiliser will be in addition to the chemical fertiliser presently provided to the farmers at subsidised prices. The fertiliser subsidy costs the Government Rs. 60 billion.

The Minister recently launched a pilot project of production of compost in Anuradhapura District with the participation of 23,000 farmers.

The Government has provided machinery, training and raw material like rock phosphate as well for the production of organic fertiliser to the farmers and their production is purchased at Rs. 8 per kilo.

This project will be spread islandwide in the second stage, the Minister stated.