State Minister Roshan Ranasinghe says he would step down from his position with effect from the 01st of May.

Ranasinghe currently serves as the State Minister of Provincial Councils & Local Government.

Conveying his decision to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a letter dated today (April 02), the state minister said he would also resign as the Polonnaruwa District Organizer of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

In his letter, Ranasinghe also urged the President to provide compensation of Rs.100 per kilogram of damaged paddy crops and fertilizer subsidy to the farmers before the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The ban imposed on the importation of chemical fertilizers and agrochemicals led to major controversy in the country and it is no secret that the decision was met with strong objection from the majority of the farming community, he went on to point out.

Despite the pledges made to provide quality organic fertilizers to the farmers to ensure that their yields would not suffer any losses, only a few people received organic fertilizers of proper standards, the state minister added.

The yield of the farmers who used to obtain an average production of 5,000 kg of paddy per hectare dropped by 2,000kg to 2,500kg during this Maha season, he added.

The main reason for the loss of popularity of the government within such a short period of time can be attributed to the failure of the campaign to promote organic fertilizer, the state minister continued.