State patronage essential to uplift agricultural sector

Government repeatedly says the agricultural sector could help to uplift the Lankan economy to a great extent. The climate, soil and weather patterns are the main resources, the country is blessed with to accomplish this task.

When the Sunday Observer interviewed a group of farmers about the present position of the country’s agricultural sector, a farmer with long experience, in the Aruppitiya agricultural village in Talangama South Sirisena Perera said “Although few of us cultivate our paddy lands with great difficulty, the majority farmers have given up due to lack of money, high cost of fertiliser and equipment”.

He therefore suggested that the authorities in the Agriculture Department should visit his village at Talangama South, Pelawatta, Aruppitiya (end of Perera Mawatha) to meet the farmer community and listen to their grievances.

Chief of a farmer community centre of Hanwella, L.H. Suranimala said both the Bank of Ceylon and the People’s Bank could make a great contribution towards the development of our agricultural sector.

“Although, I wrote to the Minister of Agriculture Maithripala Sirisena about this matter, no response has yet been received”.

He once again suggested that the Minister of Agriculture should direct bank officials to collect data of farmer families in their respective villages and provide them loans to develop the agriculture.

Ex. Prisons Department executive who is now engaged in a potato cultivation at Welimada, Piyasiri Kankanamge said a large number of cultivable State lands are neglected in the district due to negligence of officials.

He proposed that prisoners could be brought from open prison camps which are located in the district.

L.M. David of Polgahawela who was engaged in agricultural work for over three decades, proposed the Government to direct State banks to grant loans to farmers to start cultivation work on condition that instalments will not be deducted if the crops are destroyed due to various calamities.

This system is being practised in India.

P. Jesudasan of Hanwella said that the development of agriculture in the country is in the negative side due to poverty.

“I would request the Government to grant loans to farmers without asking for security or guarantee as they are too poor to provide security find guarantors. No one is ready to provide guarantee to a person who is no fixed monthly income.”

D.F. Podimenike of Hettipola said that she dropped the idea of cultivating her three acre land due to high costs.

“I suggest the Government not to impose any tax or levy on imported agricultural equipment, if the Government really wants to encourage people in this field”.

She recalled a tour of Malaysia with a group of farmers during the tenure of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa and said that the low cost of agricultural equipment in that country enabled farmers to engage in agriculture.

Sumanasekara Banda of Passara wanted the Agriculture Department to initiate a program to send Lankan farmers to foreign countries to enable them to study on latest agricultural techniques.

Kamalasiri Piyasena of Passara said the Agriculture Department should not only focus attention on paddy cultivation but also provide incentives such as fertiliser subsidy for rubber, cocoa, tea, vegetable and coconut cultivations.

Jayani Tissera Dissanayaka of Anuradhapura said although rice production in her district has shown a significant improvement, authorities have not focused much attention towards the development of irrigation network to enable farmers to cultivate more land.

“There are many uncultivated agricultural lands in the district and I request the authorities to renovate lakes and canals to develop the agricultural sector”.

It is also necessary to set up young farmer societies as in the past to encourage young people, especially school leavers to engage in agriculture.

She said home garden cultivation must be encouraged. It will help to bring down the vegetable prices in the open market.

Shantha Caldera of Kaduwela said the Government should take immediate steps to grant subsidy to bring down the prices of both fertiliser and pesticide, to prevent farmers from abandoning their traditional agriculture”.

“I also urge the authorities to set up agrarian centres in all districts to enable farmers to send their products to other areas easily without spending much money on transport”.

Nihal Perera of Talangama South said that there are many unattended agricultural lands in his village and the majority of farmers have given up paddy and other cultivations due to their crops being destroyed very often by floods.

“Although, we informed about this matter to authorities in the Western Provincial Council and the relevant Divisional Secretariat, no action has so far been taken to prevent these paddy lands from getting submerged”.

He invited the Minister of Agriculture and other responsible authorities to visit his village to see the pathetic state of neglected cultivable lands.

Boutique owner, P. Kusumawathi of Hokandara showed us many cultivable lands which have been neglected by their owners due to financial problems.

She said most of these lands are owned by peasants and they must be encouraged to cultivate their lands by officials in the Agriculture Department by granting their bank loans.

“I am sure if officials intervene, it will not be a problem to cultivate these lands again,” she added.