Nov 21, Colombo: The Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera has advised the National Fertilizer Secretariat to immediately blacklist an organic fertilizer manufacturing company that supplies liquid organic fertilizer packaged in plastic bottles.

According to the recommendations of the National Fertilizer Secretariat, packaging of liquid organic fertilizers in plastic bottles (similar to water bottles) is strictly prohibited due to the possibility of various pathogens to grow in such packages.

Therefore, the minister has advised that the company should be blacklisted immediately and if the company has sold any liquid organic fertilizers in plastic bottles, not to pay any money for it.

Also, the farmers of the Walawa region have complained that the organic fertilizers supplied by another organic fertilizer company contains a high concentration of sand.

The Minister has instructed the National Fertilizer Secretariat to conduct an immediate investigation and provide a report in this regard.

However, this time supply of organic fertilizers for paddy cultivation is not done through the government’s intervention and the relevant companies can present their products to the farmers through the Agrarian Service Centers.

Farmers can buy the organic fertilizer product of their choice, and after buying the organic fertilizer, the government provides a subsidy of up to 20,000 rupees to the farmers. The amount will be credited by the government after submitting the voucher to the concerned company.

However, the National Fertilizer Secretariat will test three organic fertilizer samples of each product and if it is found that the organic fertilizer is inferior in quality, the government has decided to blacklist the supplier and not to pay the related amount regardless of how much they have sold.

Therefore, all organic fertilizer companies have assured the Ministry of Agriculture that they will provide only high quality products to the farmers.