Deputy Minister Samantha Vidyarathna announced plans to provide fertilizer subsidies to coconut plantation owners as a measure to resolve the prevailing coconut shortage in the country.
Speaking on the matter, the Deputy Minister revealed that out of the 55,000 metric tons of fertilizer recently imported, a total of 27,500 metric tons will be allocated for coconut cultivation.
“Our ministry’s coconut plantations, spanning tens of thousands of acres, have not been fertilized for five years, resulting in reduced harvests. The general public was also unable to apply fertilizer. Following a recent shipment of fertilizer, we decided in a Cabinet discussion to allocate half of it for coconut cultivation,” he explained.
The Deputy Minister expressed optimism that this initiative would help resolve the crisis by the coming year.
