Farmers To Benefit From Introduction Of New Blends Of Fertiliser

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, has announced that Newport Fersan will be introducing three new fertiliser blends to the market.

The new blends aim to provide relief to farmers in the wake of rising fertiliser costs.

This follows meetings with stakeholders from the Ministry as well as representatives from the company.

“Concerned about the impact that the recent rise in fertiliser costs is having on the agricultural sector, the Ministry has  held a series of meetings with Newport Fersan to explore immediate solutions.  Arising from those discussions, the company will bring three new fertiliser blends to the market, utilising less expensive but equally effective ingredients,” the Minister said.

He was delivering a statement in the House of Representatives on September 22, in which he provided an update on the sector following the passage of Tropical Storms Grace and Ida. The tropical storms severely impacted the sector during the month of August.

The Minister informed that discussions are also being extended by the Ministry, through the Research and Development Division, to the United Nations agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for technical assistance in exploring cost-effective local-based feed ingredients.

Mr. Shaw said the Ministry continues to monitor the situation and is exploring other appropriate methods of direct intervention to bring down fertiliser costs in the shortest possible time.