Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage accused several top officials at his ministry of working with fertiliser companies as consultants.

"Some are on the payroll of fertiliser companies. They are not working to protect the interests of the Ministry. Their allegiance is elsewhere," Aluthgamage said addressing a press conference.

The Agriculture Minister said the government is working to dismantle a "mafia" that has dominated the agriculture sector for ages.

"We have the name-list of the poeple working for the fertiliser companies. We don't want to reveal them now. If we do so, there will be no one left to work for us," the Minister said.

His remarks came a day after the removal of Senior Professor Buddhi Marambe of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, from all the posts he held at the Ministry of Agriculture and the institutions under it.

Marambe was removed from the post of Member of the National Agricultural Policy Planning Committee, Member of the Steering Committee of the Agricultural Innovation Project and Advisor to the Small Business Agri Participation Program with immediate effect.