He accused the government of looking the other way when Medirigiriya farmers were staging protests against the fertilizer shortage.

The fertilizer subsidy was removed from the budget, and a promise was given to grant an allowance of Rs. 25,000 a year instead, but now, there is a fertilizer shortage, said Dissanayake.

Rhizobial inoculant developed

Meanwhile, the first rhizobial inoculant strain has been developed in the country, following research, as a solution to prevailing health issues such as the kidney disease, which occurs due to the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides.

The new find, developed for the tea, paddy, coconut and corn plantations, can cut down the chemical fertilizer use by 50 per cent while increasing yields upto 40 pc.

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First Rhizobial inoculant in SL developed