National Fertilizer Secretariat rejects claims of overpriced fertilizer imports

The National Fertilizer Secretariat has issued a clarification rejecting claims made by a representative of the National Farmers’ Collective that the government has procured fertilizer at excessively high prices.

In a statement, the Secretariat said several points in the allegation were inaccurate, including claims that urea fertilizer could have been sourced from Kazakhstan at significantly lower prices.

The farmers’ representative had alleged that while urea could be purchased at around US$220 to US$320 per metric ton from Kazakhstan, companies had been allowed to import fertilizer at around US$800 per metric ton with government approval.

Responding to these claims, the Secretariat stated that it had promptly granted approvals for import requests submitted from Kazakhstan. However, it clarified that no imports of urea fertilizer have been made so far by any of the relevant companies.

It further noted that a company identified as Ceylon Trading and Plantation (Pvt) Ltd placed an order for 25,000 metric tons of urea on April 29, but that shipment has also not yet been received.

The Secretariat also pointed out that in the international market, countries such as India have recently seen urea prices reaching around US$900 per metric ton.

The statement emphasized that procurement processes are being handled according to established procedures and that approvals were issued without delay upon receiving valid requests.