Three cheers for export agriculture

by Shamal Abeysinghe

The Department of Export Agriculture (DEA) has planned a ten year development project expecting to increase the present annual foreign currency earning through export from Rs. 12 billion to Rs. 25 billion, Director of DEA Dr. M. Illangasinghe said.

The new project will include to develop cultivation of new potential export crops, increase of production in existing lands, improving of the quality and focus on value added products, to enhance the local characteristics and market it by creating a good image and in general to increase foreign currency earning by 100 percent when the program is fully implemented, he said.

As the present export amount is 30,000 metric tons, at the end of ten years DEA hopes to increase the production up to 45,000 Metric Tons (50% increase) which will result 100% increase in foreign currency earning (from Rs. 12 billion to Rs. 25-30 billion).

Most important fact is this has been implemented without been restricted to a plan. Already three circulars has been released and it includes providing funds for new cultivations, funds for improving existing cultivations and also support for the use of post harvest technologies.

Export agriculture crops are perennial in nature other than tea, rubber, coconut and cashew, where over 50% of their annual production is exported. Department of Export Agriculture (DEA) mainly emphasised on traditional crops such as cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, coffee, cocoa, citronella, betel, arecanut etc as well as new crops with export potential such as lemon grass, vanilla, kithul, and rathambala banana.

These plantations are distributed in the wet and intermediate zones within 6 provinces including 14 districts. In analysing the foreign currency earning, export agriculture crop yield has been second only to the tea sector and equals the foreign income gained through rubber and coconut.

The land cover of total export agriculture crops cultivated is 20% from the total upland cultivations, and it is about 25,000 acres. Export agriculture crops are mainly engaged with the small holders' income generation. In this field there are about 0.4 million families engaged as stakeholders (cultivators, planners, traders, exporters) and the membership families are about 1.8 million. It is about 20% of the total population who are engaged and depends on agriculture. Main objectives of the ten year plan are to cultivate 80,000 acres in addition to the existing 250,000 acres and it would be an increase of 24%.

They also plan to increase the production in identified low productive lands of 100,000 acres. Through these activities they hope to create 100,000 new employment opportunities.

As the Department of Export Agriculture explains cultivators were being informed through Field Extension Officers and the DEA circular. Interested stakeholders have been asked to appeal for support through relevant application forms.