Task force to expedite agriculture development
By L.S.A. Wedaarchchi
[email protected]
A Presidential Task Force has been appointed to expedite the
three-year Agriculture Development Project "Api Wawamu - Rata Nagamu",
which commenced last September, said Minister of Agriculture Development
and Agrarian Services Maithripala Sirisena.
The "Api Wawamu - Rata Nagamu" project targets to achieve self
sufficiency in agricultural produce in all varieties including rice,
onions, chilies, fruits and green gram within three years.
According to the Minister representatives from all agriculture
related ministries, departments and leading private sector agricultural
organisations have been appointed to the Presidential Task Force which
will meet under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa shortly.
The Minister said to achieve self-sufficiency in rice by 2010 the
national paddy production which is 3.5 million M.T. should be increased
by 30 percent and virgin or neglected land of 55000 hectares should be
cultivated. Vast areas of fertile land in the Eastern province which
were neglected due to the conflict will be cultivated.
Renovation of small and medium irrigation projects and another 10 per
cent of the targeted land will be cultivated under the Moragahakanda and
Umaoya development scheme.
The productivity of paddy lands will be increased from 4.2 metric
tons per hectare to 5.2 metric tons using the latest scientific methods
adopted by India, China, Thailand and the Philippines. The main problem
faced by farmers in the past was that they could not get a reasonable
price. That has changed due to the far-sighted decisions taken by the
government.
There is a big demand for local paddy, rice, onions and chilies. Sri
Lanka imported 900,000 Mt of wheat flour from 1967 and it was reduced by
50 per cent last year due to the removal of the flour subsidy which
increased the demand for rice and rice based products, he said.
Sri Lanka spent Rs. 700 million last year to import grapes, apples
and other fruits. Under the "Api Wavamu-Rata Nagmu" project paddy
cultivation and other agricultural items such as fruits, exports and
milk production will be improved, he said.
All should work hard to achieve self-sufficiency, he said. |
