Activist alleges violation of procurement procedures

Amidst continuing protests in several parts of the country against a severe shortage of fertiliser, SriLankan Airlines yesterday (21) airfreighted a stock of nano-nitrogen liquid fertiliser from India.

UL 1156 touched down at the BIA 12.25 am. Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena and State Ministers, Shashendra Rajapaksa and D. V. Chanaka and Agriculture Secretary Prof. Udith Jayasinghe were there to receive the first consignment of fertiliser.

The Presidential Secretariat said that during this week 500,000 litres of nitrogen fertiliser would be brought in. It said that altogether the government had ordered 3.1 mn litres from India’s IFFCO.

The Indian fertiliser would be made available to farmers through Agrarian Centres in the Ampara, Batticaloa, and Trincomalee Districts and other districts, where paddy cultivation has already commenced, the Presidential Secretariat quoted the Agriculture Secretary as having said.

Methsiri Gunawardena, Chairman of the Colombo Commercial Fertiliser was also at the BIA.

Former Governor of Uva, Central and Southern Provinces and civil society activist Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon in a statement issued yesterday alleged that the fertliser had been ordered at a cost of Rs 9 bn without following proper procurement procedures.

Tennakoon asked whether the government deliberately created an environment for the emergency import of fertliser from India. Tennakoon said the government should explain how such large scale imports were made contrary to basic procedures. Tennakoon alleged that the government had created a monopoly for fertliser imports for the benefit of a few (SF)