Bumper paddy harvest expected in East

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Eastern Province will once again regain its historic glory as 'granary of Sri Lanka" with bumper harvests of paddy in over 131,000 acres that was cultivated in the current crop season.

Harvesting has already begun in the Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts, said M. L. A. M. Hisbullah, Provincial Minister of Social Service, Ports and IT Education. Many incentives, including free seed paddy, tractors for ploughing and fertilizers at highly subsidised prices were offered to the eastern farmers through the PC administration and paddy harvests are likely to increase three fold, compared to harvests in the last 25 years, the PC Minister told the Sunday Observer. UN assistance was also obtained for this purpose, he said.

The central government agreed to extend a loan of Rs. 500 million to the provincial administration to purchase paddy, through its cooperative societies, at guaranteed prices at Rs. 28/- and Rs. 30/- per kg to the two main varieties but rice mill owners and traders have now offered a price of Rs. 33/- and above, to the advantage of the farmers. The east this time around will produce 30 percent of the country's total paddy crop, after five decades, which will result in reduced rice prices and a drop in the COL index, benefiting the common man.