The Agriculture Ministry has decided to provide a fertiliser subsidy of Rs.18,000 per hectare for the farmers using organic fertiliser for their cultivations.
During a discussion held recently at the Ministry, Minister Amaraweera directed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures to implement this procedure.
According to the Minister, this decision has been taken to encourage local farmers who engage in organic farming.
Instead of the fertiliser subsidy offered to farmers using chemical fertilisers,organic farmers will receive the money. According to Ministry statistics, about 5,000 farmers are engaged in organic farming and Cabinet approval has also been received to provide the necessary funds for the purchase of organic fertiliser from the Maha Season in 2018.
The Minister plans to hold discussions with organic fertiliser producers to implement an organic fertiliser production programme.
The government has already allocated Rs.33 billion for the fertiliser subsidy programme this year.