Marked increase in agricultural crops

The cultivation of paddy, vegetables and other subsidiary food crops acreage-wise and the overall produce have registered a marked increase according to the "Api Wavamu - Rata Nagamu" agriculture development program, said Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithripala Sirisena.

The rate of increase of paddy, vegetables and the subsidiary food crops harvest is in order of 24 percent, 11 percent and 7 percent respectively when compared to the previous year's performance.

"Sri Lanka imports Rs. 1,000 billion worth of food commodities which can be cultivated locally. Some items such as gingelly, kurakkan, ginger are imported spending much valued foreign exchange.

Import substitution is the second phase of the 'Api Wavamu - Rata Nagamu" agriculture development programme, he said.

During the last one and half years, the programme had provided encouraging results, he pointed out.

Large tracts of land in the country belonging to the private sector as well as public sector have not yet been utilized for agriculture purposes. Under the recently gazetted regulations such lands can be utilised by the government for agricultural development, he said.

The cultivation of mustard, ginger, and groundnut in the Eastern and Northern Provinces has increased sharply under the "Nagenahira Navodaya" "Uturu Wasanthaya" and "Api Wavamu Rata Nagamu" programmes.

The ginger cultivation in the Eastern Province has increased by 64 percent compared to the previous year, Agriculture Development Ministry officials revealed.

- LSAW