Fertilizer Secretariat denies claims of excessive urea prices

Colombo, May 5 (Daily Mirror) - The National Fertilizer Secretariat has rejected allegations that the government procured urea fertilizer at inflated prices, dismissing claims made by a representative of the National Farmers’ Collective.

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

The farmers’ representative had claimed that urea was available from Kazakhstan at prices ranging between US$220 and US$320 per metric ton, while companies were allegedly permitted to import the fertilizer at around US$800 per metric ton with government approval.

Responding to the claims, the Secretariat said it had promptly granted approvals for import requests submitted from Kazakhstan. However, it clarified that no company has so far imported urea fertilizer under those approvals.

The Secretariat further noted that Ceylon Trading and Plantation (Pvt) Ltd had placed an order for 25,000 metric tons of urea on April 29, but the shipment has not yet been received.