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The shipment carrying 36,000 MT of TSP-Triple Superphosphate (Mud fertilizer) which is essential for paddy cultivation is scheduled to reach Colombo Port on the 17th of this month.
This fertilizer provides Phosphorus and potassium which are required for paddy cultivation and due to lack of such essential minerals in the last few seasons it was not even possible to obtain the expected yield. The Department of Agriculture emphasized that the deficiency of Phosphorus and potassium also affected the yellowing of paddy plants during this Maha season.
Prior to 2021 Maha season, 4.1 MT of paddy was harvested from one hectare of land. However, since farmers did not receive fertilizers containing Phosphorus and Potassium paddy harvested from one hectare of land had declined up to 2 to 2.5 MT.
Mr.Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Agriculture said that it has been decided to provide the entire recommended quantity of mud fertilizer to farmers free of charge out of these fertilizers due to reach in the country.
Arrangements have been made to provide mud fertilizers to all the 1.2 million farmers who have cultivated paddy during 2022/23 Maha season regardless of whether they have cultivated paddy during Yala season or not.
This stock of TSP fertilizers has been donated by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
After three seasons of paddy cultivation, plans are underway to provide the total chemical fertilizer requirement for paddy cultivation this Yala season. Accordingly, farmers will be able to obtain TSP, MOP and Urea fertilizers more conveniently.
Addressing a discussion held at the Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday (08), Minister Amaraweera said that although a bundle of 50 kg of MOP fertilizer was given at the price of Rs.19,500 during the Maha Season, the Government has now decided to reduce the price of that fertilizer by a significant amount during the Yala Season.
