The Department of Agriculture emphasizes that the application of Muriate of Potash (MoP) to paddy cultivation has been quantitatively reduced in the last few seasons.

According to the Department of Agriculture, it is mandatory to use MoP fertilizer to strengthen paddy pods as well as to improve the quality of paddy seeds.

But the use of MoP has decreased in the last ‘Maha’ season. Only 11,000 MT of MoP was used despite around 800,000 hectares being cultivated during the season.

Although the MoP requirement for the ‘Maha’ season is 30,000 MT, it appears that only one third was purchased by farmers.Therefore, in a bid to promote the use of MoP, it has been decided to credit the fertilizer subsidy money to the farmers’ accounts in this ‘Yala’ season.

The Department of Agricultural Development states that depositing subsidies will  commence from today (May 07) with financial allocations scheduled to be given to the farmers who have finished planting paddy fields.

Authorities have assured that sufficient stocks of MoP are available in the country.

A number of decisions have been taken at the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (May 06).

The decisions taken by the Cabinet of Ministers are as follows :

Cabinet approval has been granted yesterday (May 06) to enter into a power purchase agreement with Adani Green Energy, says Minister of Power – Kanchana Wijesekara.

The 20-year agreement will see to the development of 484 MW of Wind power stations in Mannar and Poonaryn.

Taking to X, the minister further added, ‘the negotiated tariff rate of USD 0.0826 per kWh, is to be paid in LKR on the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment. On the current exchange rate considered as, 1 USD = Rs 300, the cost of energy will be Rs 24.78 per kWh. The current average cost of energy in SL is Rs 39.02 per kWh.’