State Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has said that he would step down from his portfolio from May 1.
Ranasinghe currently serves as the State Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government.
In a letter dated yesterday to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the State Minister stated he would also resign as the Polonnaruwa District Organiser of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
Ranasinghe also urged the President to provide compensation of Rs.100 per kilogram of damaged paddy crops and fertiliser subsidy to the farmers before the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The ban imposed on the importation of chemical fertiliser and agrochemicals led to a major controversy in the country and it is no secret that the decision was met with strong objection from the majority of the farming community, he said.
Despite the pledges made to provide quality organic fertiliser the farmers to ensure that their yields would not suffer any losses, only a few people received organic fertilisers of proper standards, the State Minister said.
The yield of the farmers who used to obtain an average production of 5,000 kg of paddy per hectare dropped by 2,000kg to 2,500kg during this Maha season, he said.
The main reason for the loss of popularity of the Government within such a short period of time can be attributed to the failure of the campaign to promote organic fertiliser, the State Minister said.