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Farmers continue to complain: Fertiliser shortage hits agri sector

06 May 2020

By Skandha Gunasekara Despite the authorities dismissing the matter, farmers insist that there is a severe fertiliser shortage in the country. Fertiliser Secretariat Executive Director H. Mahesh told The Morning that there is no shortage of fertiliser and it is in fact an issue of logistics. “There is ample fertiliser. The problem is that the anti-Covid-19 measures have severely hindered the transportation of fertiliser. That is what’s causing this scarcity,” he said. However, All Island Farmers Federation (AIFF) Namal Karunaratne charged that the shortage was created by the private sector to drive up prices. “The Government only owns 10% of the fertiliser market. The rest (of the market share) is the private sector. They are creating this artificial shortage so that they drive up prices,” he stressed. He said that usually due to a shortage, farmers tend to buy in bulk and at higher prices. “The farmers panic and buy in excess when they fear a shortage is coming. The sellers want to somehow try and sell above the government mandated price of Rs. 20 per kilogramme,” he said.


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