Farmers lament shortage of seeds, fertilizer

COLOMBO (News1st): Farmers in several districts complain that they have been adversely affected as a result of not receiving organic fertilizer and paddy seeds. "Fertilizer is required to commence cultivation. But we haven't received fertilizer yet," one farmer said. "But we haven't received paddy seeds yet". Another farmer in Polonnaruwa pointed out that the fertilizer given to them is insufficient. "We received only 10 kilos of fertilizer. It is insufficient to cultivate at least an acre," a farmer complained. But Janath Vidanage, the chairman of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, said that there is no shortage of fertilizer in the country. "We have notified the National Fertilizer Secretariat that we need 8436 metric tonnes of fertilizer for the Yala season. We have stored them in our facilities," Vidanage said Namal Karunaratne, the national organizer of the All Ceylon Farmers Federation noted that the government does not have a proper plan to promote organic farming. "Farmers have not received fertilizer," he said. "But the ministers have failed to manage this situation".