Indian govt approves 65,000 metric tonnes of urea to Sri Lanka amid crisis

As Sri Lanka continues to reel under the unprecedented economic crisis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a urea consignment of 65,000 metric tonnes to the island nation, which would be delivered soon. This was confirmed by Gopal Baglay, the High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, on Sunday. "PM Modi has approved the urea consignment donation which will travel directly to Sri Lanka from its origin in Oman. The Indian High Commissioner assured that Sri Lanka would receive the consignment as soon as possible," Baglay said, according to Colombo Page. 

According to reports, Mahinda Amaraweera, Sri Lanka's Minister of Agriculture, recently called on Baglay and requested assistance from India in the areas of food security and environmental preservation. The two leaders talked about the issues that the country's agricultural sector is encountering amid the ongoing crisis. During the discussion, Baglay emphasized that the Indian government will provide full support to Sri Lanka in order to mitigate the country's agricultural crisis. 

India to provide urea to Sri Lanka under Line of Credit

Despite a prohibition on urea fertiliser exports from India, the Indian government agreed to send 65,000 metric tonnes of the fertiliser to the crisis-plagued island country under a USD 1 billion Indian line of credit. Last month in May, the island nation's agricultural concerns were discussed at a meeting between the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, and the Secretary of India's Department of Fertilizers. Earlier in 2021, the Sri Lankan government had banned the import of chemical fertilisers as part of its strategy to transition to organic agriculture. However, the unexpected economic downturn, along with a scarcity of organic fertilisers, had a significant impact on agricultural productivity.

India continues to provide aid to Sri Lanka amid crisis

It is pertinent to mention here that the Indian government continues to provide humanitarian aid to the island nation as part of its ongoing support to the people of Sri Lanka in a variety of ways, including financial aid, material supply and other necessary essentials. Currently, the Sri Lankan government has been struggling to meet basic requirements for its population of 22 million citizens amid an unprecedented economic crisis caused by mishandling of finances and ill-timed tax cuts. The island nation is also facing a foreign exchange deficit, which has resulted in food, fuel, power, and gas shortages, and has sought economic assistance from friendly countries. 

Image: pmindia.gov.in/AP