President Gotabaya Rajapaksa inspected the Organic Fertilizer Packaging Centres at Oyamaduwa and Senanayake Mawatha in Anuradhapura managed by the Land Reform Commission, yesterday (17).

The Land Reform Commission produces organic fertilizer at 35 centres in the North Central Province using Water hyacinth, Ginisiriya, poultry wastes, dried dung and Eppawala Rock Phosphate as raw materials. The Land Reform Commission expects to produce 50,000 metric tons of organic fertilizer for the Maha Season, the PMD said.

Fertilizer is packaged at six centres at Anuradhapura Oyamaduwa, Senanayake Mawatha, Padaviya, Mahailluppallama, Eppawala and Thalawa and handed over to the Commercial Fertilizers Ltd. The Commercial Fertilizers Ltd then distributes organic fertilizer to the farming community through the Department of Agrarian Development.

One metric ton of this organic manure can be applied per hectare of paddy field. Farmers will also have the opportunity to witness the production and quality of fertilizers at the packaging centres or production centres.

The President inspected the organic fertilizer packaging centres at Oyamaduwa and Senanayake Mawatha and examined the quality of the manufactured fertilizers, it said.

Minister S. M. Chandrasena and several others accompanied the President on these observation visits.