by Franklin R. Satyapalan
With the intention of targeting African and West Asian markets for surplus stocks of Sri Lankan organic rice the government has taken special interest to cultivate much sought after indigenous varieties of paddy in 461,000 hectares of low land during the forthcoming Yala season, commencing early May, said Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Shantha Ametiyagoda on Tuesday.
The Government has brought in certain amendments which granted executive powers to Government Agents, empowering them to plan and implement all infrastructure, human resources, economic, social, export oriented development activities in their respective districts. They would also monitor the progress made in all these sectors and be held answerable to the Central government when required to do so, Public Administration Ministry sources said.
He said" that the agriculture friendly policies of the UPFA government, including the granting of fertilizer subsidy since 2005, had led Sri Lanka to be self sufficient in meeting its own requirements of Maize, Undu and green gram and thereby halting the drain of billions of rupees in valuable foreign exchange spent annually to import them".
During a recent study tour of the Eastern Province, especially the Ampara and Batticaloa, it was found that the water levels of the D. S. Senanayake Samudura were high and adequate to meet the requirements of the Yala farmers in the district.
Similarly they have found there was sufficient water in the tanks in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa to meet the Yala farmers’ requirements.
The government has decided to give other varieties of crop seeds free to motivate more farmers to take up to cultivation of Maize, Tala (Gingelly) Kurakkan, chillies, Undhu, green gram, red onions and big onions during the forthcoming Yala season to meet Sri Lanka’s requirements locally.
The government plans to cultivate 500 hectares of land in the dry zone with Tala (Gingelly) and also 5,229 hectares in the Anuradhapura, Moneragala and the districts of the Northern Province with Kurakkan. 6,500 hectares of land in Dambulla, Mannar, Moneragala, Hambantota and the Anuradhapura districts are earmarked for the cultivation of big onion and 8,457 hectares of dry zone land especially in Northern and Wayamba provinces allocated for red onions.
The Ministry of Agriculture also plans to cultivate Green gram in 10,734 hectares in Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Kandy, Ampara districts and the Mahaweli B and C systems, chilies in 5545 hectares, Undhu in 13,300 hectares of land. Maize will be cultivated in only 18,000 hectares during Yala season, as Maize is mainly cultivated during the Maha.
This year the Maize harvest was around 200,000 metric tons.
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