The search for a cheaper source of fertilisers has commenced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Minister Roger Clarke said yesterday.

Speaking with The Gleaner, the minister stated that discussions are currently under way with Venezuela to source the farming ingredient.

"What is happening is that, the source of our fertiliser gets theirs from Venezuela. So if we can get it directly from them it could be cheaper," Mr. Clarke said.

The minister said that he is anticipating a response out of Venezuela in a week's time.

Incremental increases

The issue was raised last week when Mr. Clarke said he would be looking for other sources of fertilisers for farmers, due to the incremental increases by the country's sole supplier over the last 12 months.

Various fertiliser products have seen increases in their prices. The popular vegetable fertiliser '11.22.22' has seen the price of a metric tonne (about 2,200 pounds) moving from $22,833 in October 2006 to $38,920 this year.

The price of another popular fertiliser, sulphate of ammonia, has increased from $14,086 in October last year to $24,325 this year.

Now, farmers will be paying an estimated $2,000 per bag (112 pounds) for fertiliser. This increase will be the third since this year.