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Farmers face exploding fertiliser 

09 Dec 2021

 
  • Liquid fertiliser containers explode in A’pura 
  • District-top agri official confirms stock made by local co. with Ministry approval 
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera Farmers in the Parakramapura area in Padaviya, Anuradhapura have claimed that the containers of locally manufactured liquid fertiliser provided to them through the Agrarian Services Centre in the area are exploding. The farmers claimed that the liquid fertiliser containers, which have a foul smell, exploded after being under high pressure. Speaking to the media yesterday (9), the farmers said that they have been cultivating paddy in their paddy fields for nearly a month now and that the crops will be destroyed as they are unable to apply the liquid fertiliser provided through the Agrarian Services Centre, to the crops. “Our paddy cultivation is about one-month old now. More than 20 farmers’ organisations in this area have received this liquid fertiliser. Now these fertiliser containers are exploding and there is no fertiliser to apply to the crops,” lamented the farmers.  The farmers who claimed that the containers of fertiliser were given to them in the guise of nano nitrogen liquid fertiliser, said that they did not even know what would happen to the crops after applying this extremely foul smelling fertiliser. “These fertilisers seem to have been made of something like fish waste,” the farmers charged. Meanwhile, Anuradhapura District Deputy Agrarian Services Commissioner Chaminda Ekanayake yesterday told Ada Derana that the stock of fertiliser in question was produced by a local company with the approval of the Agriculture Ministry. He further said that the said company in question has agreed to take back the fertiliser containers from the farmers and provide them with the required standard liquid fertiliser.  Agriculture Department Director General Dr. Ajantha de Silva was not available for comment.


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