The President of the National Agricultural Union, Mr. Anuradha Tennakone, while joining a press conference of veteran journalist Mr. Chamuditha Samarawickrama, revealed many hidden information related to the collapse of the rice industry and organic fertilizers produced without standards.
In the press conference, the chairman revealed that a large-scale fraud was committed in the distribution of local organic fertilizers produced by Sri Lanka’s fertilizer manufacturing institutions, which were not of the standard and quality.
Accordingly, according to the Fertilizer Act No. 68 of 1988, a formal committee has been convened to determine the purchase and distribution of fertilizers and a cabinet paper regarding fertilizers has been presented by contacting the minister in charge of affairs, Mahinda Amaraweera and the cabinet minister’s secretary.
The chairman revealed that the value of the fraud done without taking into account the advisory council and without the approval of the director general without a decision on the national prices is 16.9 billion rupees.
The Chairman emphasized that Mahinda Amaraweera, the former Additional Secretary of Fertilizer Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary, and Minister in charge Mahinda Amaraweera are responsible for this fraud.
The Chairman also emphasized that the small-scale and large-scale rice industry has collapsed and this situation is aggravated by the importation of 10 lakh metric tons of rice at a price of 400 million dollars. He alleged that the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Commerce of the Ministry of Commerce are responsible for this incident.
The Chairman stated that he has filed a complaint with the Secret Police and that the case will be taken to the Supreme Court in the next fortnight and a complaint will also be submitted to the Bribery Commission and that he has information regarding all these matters.
Watch the video below to know all the information revealed about this fertilizer scam and the collapse of the rice industry.
