Agro-scientist emphasises on professional agriculture

By Afreeha Jawad

Significantly, a burning issue in the agricultural sector is the migration of agricultural labour into construction sites and other service sector agencies. Keeping this populace within agro confines will continue to be difficult until and unless this discipline is professionalised. Yet, professional agriculture is no easy task for the state's inability to bear the cost. Hence, the need for private sector collaboration.

Elaborating on this subject to the Sunday Observer recently, was senior agro scientist Dr. Sumith Abeysiriwardena whose premature retirement from state service for obvious reasons has been CIC's gain.

"You see, we have no hope unless there is state/private sector partnership in agricultural improvement. It's definitely a positive sign today to see private sector involvement in high technology based cultivation, processing, value addition, supply of locally developed inputs such as seeds and planting material, fertilizer including compost, technology generation, dissemination and engaging in agro-based industries.

Imported inputs

Private sector involvement has upto now been restricted only to supply of imported inputs such as agro chemicals and machinery. However, its new move into agriculture per se augurs well in national development. Certainly, it will help overcome low profitability and high production cost, attend to the existing dearth in improved technology, concentrate on value addition, supply seeds and planting material, handle marketing problems, facilitate labour retention and move away from a supply driven to demand driven system.

Welcoming the state's move in leasing large scale land allotments to the private sector Dr. Abeysiriwardena said, "This move is a great boon to agricultural growth. Currently CIC has got around 800 acres in Hingurakgoda where commercial cultivation of both fruits and vegetables is currently under way alongside rice research into quality."

Large scale land distribution of small units - an outcome of politicization retards agricultural development in that it denies technological usage". For instance, turning even a tractor in a small unit could be a difficult task. High technology demands bigger land space. What's more, when family members multiply, small land units will get further fragmented which in turn impedes agricultural development.

Individual small land unit holders thus cannot go in for professional agriculture. As a result, farmer companies comprising big groups of farmers is the current trend - Hiriyala and Rideegama farmer companies being outstanding examples. Reputedly these companies are now into professional rice cultivation and seed paddy production. Today these organisations have even bought farming equipment eliminating hiring costs which earlier was a trend in times of subsistence agriculture.

The economies of scale is also realizable in such large scale agro enterprises enabling wholesale buying of farmer inputs and the sale of output. Agro based industries is another feature of farmer companies - its main bug bear being financial constraints for which the state is the only fall back state. Yet, its monetary limitations hampers agricultural full play and justifies private sector participation.

Service oriented

CIC reportedly both profit and service oriented is a maiden venture in that direction distinguishing it from other private agro companies. It will work unreservedly in agricultural full play working beyond the realms of input supply which has been private sector interest so far.

Dr. Abeysiriwardena, the main protagonist in the drama of producing high quality rice - a type which he describes will be akin to imported Basmati will also involve farmers in outgrower programmes where farmer grown seed paddy would be bought by CIC. Soil test based fertilizer recommendation, demonstrating professional agricultural activities free of charge to generate employment, educating farmers on mitigating pesticides and fertilizer usage, will also come within his purview.

Incidentally, a special costly, milling machine was CIC's recent investment to mill the long grain Basmati type of local rice intended to be introduced soon into the local market while not ruling out the possibility of export - assuredly a major foreign exchange earner.

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