US provides 9,300 MT of fertilizer to paddy farmers in Sri Lanka

 

The United States officially handed over 9,300 metric tons of urea fertilizer to the Ministry of Agriculture to distribute to more than 193,000 smallholder paddy farmers in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Monaragala districts, the US Embassy in Colombo said.

The fertilizer, procured by FAO with funding from the U.S.Agency for International Development (USAID), is the first shipment of USAID-supported fertilizer assistance, with additional supplies anticipated in the coming months that will reach close to one million farmers across the country.

“This fertilizer, provided by the American people, will help Sri Lankan farmers to keep countless Sri Lankan families fed in the months ahead,” said U.S.Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, speaking at a handover event held at the Colombo port.

“I know that fertilizer alone will not meet all of Sri Lanka’s needs, but this assistance is just one aspect of the United States’ much greater investment in and support for the people and government of Sri Lanka at this challenging time.