MV INCE PACIFIC ship carrying 36,000 metric tonnes of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) fertilizer (‘Mada Pohora’) has docked at Colombo Port this morning, March 16th. This shipment comes after a hiatus of nearly three seasons, and the stock will be distributed amongst the 1.2 million farming families in Sri Lanka, with each receiving 55 kilograms of TSP fertilizer free of charge per hectare.
Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, has stated that the distribution of the fertilizer is scheduled to take place at 01:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 19th, at the Colombo Commercial Fertilizers premises in Wattala. It is worth noting that another shipment of fertilizer is also scheduled to arrive on the island soon.
The provision of TSP fertilizer was made possible through the joint efforts of USAID and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN). Minister Amaraweera further stated that this Yala season will be the first time in three seasons that measures are underway to provide farmers with all three types of fertilizer: TSP, urea, and Muriate of Potash (MOP) fertilizer (‘Bandi Pohora’).
The arrival of the MV INCE PACIFIC ship and the subsequent distribution of TSP fertilizer will undoubtedly be welcomed by Sri Lankan farmers, who have faced significant challenges in recent times due to shortages of fertilizers. This development is likely to provide much-needed relief to the agricultural sector, which has been adversely affected by the current economic climate.
