Breaking News 148

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Department of Agriculture has ordered 2.1 million liters of Nano nitrogen liquid fertilizer from the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative in Gujarat.

500ml of the fertilizer was importantly at 12.45 USD, which is approximately Rs. 2,520.

However, the market value of the fertilizer in India stands at 3.23 USD, approximately Rs. 654.

Dr. Anil Yadav, the Subject Matter Specialist for the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative said the retail price for Nano Nitrogen Fertilizer is INR 240/-.

“In India, urea is highly subsidized. The Government is giving a lot of subsidiary on that, So we have to be competitive in the market, So we have priced 10% less than the current price of urea in the market,” he told News 1st.

Sri Lanka had paid Rs. 1,867 higher than the retail price in the Indian market for 500ml of fertilizer.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka will incur a total cost of approximately Rs. 7.8 billion additionally.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage the Minister of Agriculture said that following discussions, steps have been taken to reduce the price of fertilizer to 10 USD.

“We will try to reduce this further in the future. We are also aware that India has sold the fertilizer to us at a large profit margin. We are working with the High Commissioner to India to amend these rates,” he said.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed officials to immediately relocate 12,000 families living in risk zones, to more safer locations.

The Prime Minister gave the instruction during the meeting held in Parliament on Tuesday (16) to provide relief to the people battered by heavy rains, floods and landslides in recent weeks.

At the meeting it was revealed that 31,475 people were in-fact moved to relatives homes, rather than cramping them into camps, considering the threat posed by the pandemic.

According to the Prime Ministers Facebook Page a sum of Rs. 1 million each has been allocated for 21 districts to provide relief to the people affected by extreme weather conditions, and the preliminary stage of providing compensation was complete.

At the meeting it was also revealed that 15,000 families were identified to have been living in risk zones, and only 3,000 of them were relocated to safer locations.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister had instructed to relocate the remaining 12,000 families immediately.

COLOMBO (News 1st): The Budget Proposal for 2022 will be presented in parliament today (Nov. 12), by Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa.

The second reading of the Appropriation Bill will begin at 2:00 PM today (12).

This is the 76th Budget of independent Sri Lanka.

The Budget Proposal for 2022 will be the first budget presented after the appointment of Basil Rajapaksa as the Minister of Finance.

The debate on the second reading of the Budget will run for seven days; accordingly, the vote on the first Bill is scheduled for the 22nd of November, Dhammika Dasanayake, the Secretary-General of Parliament elaborating on the process of the Budget reading told News 1st.

The Committee Stage debate will then commence on the 23rd of November, will be held for 16 days with the final vote on the Bill scheduled for the 10th of December.

Arrangements have been made to present this year’s Budget debate in sign language as well, on behalf of the hearing-impaired community, Dasanayake further noted.

Accordingly, a sign language window telecast simultaneously with the live telecast of the Budget debate will be available today.

Meanwhile, everyone will be tested for COVID-19 through Rapid Antigen tests, and only those who return a Negative result will be permitted to enter the Parliamentary premises, Serjeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando emphasized.

According to Fernando, parliamentary sittings will be held in accordance with all health guidelines and regulations during the entire period of the Budget debate.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A Major Flood warning was issued by the Irrigation Department on Tuesday (9) morning for the low-lying areas of the Maha Oya valley.

Floods can be experienced in the Alawwa, Diwulapitiya, Meerigama, Pannala, Wennappuwa, Negombo, Katana, Narammala and Dankotuwa areas, warned the Irrigation Department.

It added that the upstream river water levels of the Maha Oya River Basis has risen extensively.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka has decided to remove the control price on Sugar, confirmed State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection Lasantha Alagiyawanna on Wednesday (3).

The State Minister said a shortage of Sugar and Cement was reported from various parts of the country on Tuesday (2), and the Finance Minister during discussions with importers agreed to lift the Control Price on sugar in the country.

“This was due to traders selling sugar at high prices and because freight costs have increased,” the State Minister added.

The State Minister said the sugar importers have agreed to sell 1kg of sugar for Rs. 150/- and to reduce prices when global market prices drop.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Marine Traffic websites have confirmed that the Hippo Spirit vessel, also sailing as Seiyo Explorer, has entered the Sea of Sri Lanka.

The ship is now located close to the Hambantota Port.

The Hippo Spirit is carrying tonnes of rejected Chinese Fertilizer from Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd to Sri Lanka.

Earlier, it is reported that the Hippo Spirit, the ship carrying Chinese Organic Fertilizer, did not return to China after the first samples were rejected by Sri Lanka.

Instead, the Hippo Spirit had sailed to Singapore and altered its course back to Sri Lanka, without returning to China.

On the 22nd of September, the Hippo Spirit ship carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of organic fertilizer left for Colombo from China’s Qingdao Port.

But the ship was diverted to Singapore after harmful bacteria was detected in the samples of this fertilizer shipment.

The Hippo Spirit ship that didn’t return to China had left Singapore declaring it would be heading to the Colombo Port.

But on the 14th of this month, the automatic identification system (AIS) used to track the ship had been deactivated at the Malakka Strait.

Vessel trackers showed the last position of the ship as the Malakka Strait before it went out of range.

Data available online showed the Hippo Spirit ship in Hambantota on the 24th of this month under the name Seiyo Explorer.

The Hippo Spirit and the Seiyo Explorer both share the same IMO number, and therefore it can be confirmed the Hippo Spirit is the Seioy Explorer.

The IMO Ship Identification Number is a unique seven-digit number that remains unchanged through a vessel’s lifetime and is linked to its hull, regardless of any changes of names, flags, or owners.

Although the ship was seen in Sri Lanka’s waters off the Hambantota District on the 24th of this month, the ship has gone out of range on tracking systems.

But on Sunday (31), marine traffic websites confirmed that the ship has entered the Sea of Sri Lanka and is now located close to the Hambantota Port.