Big demand for Lankan rice

By L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

The red rice and the Sri Lankan traditional 'health rice Alhal, Suwedal, Rathhal' has a high demand in the world market, said Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena in an interview with Sunday Observer. Minister Abeywardena explained the future plans of his ministry. The excerpts of the interview:

Q: Sri Lanka produced 3.4, 3.6 and 3.9 million Metric Tons of paddy in 2008, 2009 and 2010 which exceeded the amount needed for domestic consumption.

The country is now self-sufficient in rice. The 2011 budget proposed to improve the productivity in the Agriculture sector such as paddy and other essential food crops. Onion, Potatoes, Chillies are largely imported. Your comments.

A: When many of the countries in the region faced a severe food shortage, Sri Lanka remained secure due to the timely measures adopted by the government. The Api Wavemu - Rate Nagamu Agriculture Development Project helped the country immensely to tide out the difficulties. The Agriculture sector adopted strategy of improving productivity, thereby consolidating the export market specially for 'health rice' an exclusive Sri Lankan products.

In 2011 the target for paddy production is 4.2 million M.T. which is higher than the 3 million MT in the current year 2010.

The advanced research by the scientists and the commitment on the part of the personnel in our departments and institutions contributed to the high productivity in rice. We have developed several high yielding rice varieties, BG 260 or 4 Kiri Samba, a variety that was developed at the Bathalagoda Rice Research Institute is the latest achievement.

The average yield of BG 260 is around 4.3 MT per hectares according to the scientists. Another remarkable step in this direction is the development of BG 404 which is the first hybrid rice variety in Sri Lanka.

Q: What is the present situation of rice exports and its future prospects?

A: The Foreign markets specially those in USA, UK and Europe eye on health food in preference to their chemical infested agricultural products.

They are well aware that such food are a health hazard. Sri Lanka has rice varieties as Alhal, Suwadhal, Rathhal, Red Bhasmathi which are abundant in nutrition. Carbonic fertilizer is mainly need for such varieties. The organic food has a high demand in the West specially among the health concerned people. Red Bhasmathi developed by Palwehera farm is identified as the only healthy rice for diabetic patients according to the medical specialists. It has only 35 percent of glisemic where as otherwise varieties have 65 percent.

Q: The majority of the farmers prefer normal paddy varieties such as Samba and kakulu.

They are not inclined to cultivate health paddy varieties due to production and marketing problems. Are there plans to encourage cultivation of health paddy varieties?

A: The health paddy varieties take over four months to reach the stage of harvesting while normal varieties take only 3 months. The healthy variety paddy plants are easily susceptible to damage due to its nature.

The marketing aspects too has to be studied. The recently set up National Food Promotion Board (NFPB) has its sales outlets where the health rice is sold at double the price of samba, Rs. 130 or more. NFPB's main sales outlet at Dehiwala has demand for national food items. It will set up its branches at Ambalantota and Kilinochchi soon. We had a special meeting with a group of rice exporters at the Ministry of Agriculture last week. They said that there is a high demand for health rice in UK, USA and Europe. As President Mahinda Rajapaksa assured in the recent budget speech incentives will be given to organic paddy cultivators and marketeers.

Q: Annually Sri Lanka spends billions of rupees worth of foreign exchange to import essential food items such as onion, potatoes, garlic and fruits. Are there plans to boost local production?

A: A program to increase the productivity of essential food items is being implemented. Onions, chillies garlic and fruit cultivation can be improved and upgraded with high yield varieties and modern techniques.

There is a big demand for local big onion seeds which is costlier than the imported ones, since the big onion farmers in Dambulla lost the recent harvest. A seed nursery village is being developed at Kimbissa in Dambulla to meet this demand. A plot of land at the Riverston Estate in Matale is also identified for this purpose.

Q: One of the major inputs for the increase of paddy production is the fertiliser subsidy. Could you comment on the government's plans for providing fertilizer on subsidised prices to the farmers?

A: Rs. 30,000 million was spent for the paddy fertilizer subsidy last year. The fertilizer subsidy provides a big relief to paddy farmers. We should encourage the use of organic fertilizer to increase the productivity. A program was launched to popularise organic fertilizer which aims to reduce chemical fertilizer import by 25 percent within a three years.

Q: A fair amount of neglected paddy lands was re-cultivated under the Api Wavemu Rate Nagamu Agriculture Development Project. But neglected lands are still available for cultivation. Will the government take steps to utilize the lands to cultivate?

A: There are 65,000 HA of neglected lands belonging to plantation companies. The Budget 2010 had given ultimatum to the plantation companies either to cultivate them within six months or face the risk of alienating them. These lands will be given to small holders for cultivation after the ultimation. My personal view is that neglected plantation company lands should be taken over by the government and leased out to farmers to cultivate either tea rubber or coconut.

The Palm cultivation which has no export market and environmentally harmful cultivation should not be allowed. Most of the present plantation company owners who were selected by former UNP government were not genuine planters but Colombo-based businessmen.

They are aware of business deals but not agriculture or plantations. During the past two decades they obtained the maximum profits by selling tea rubber and coconut produce in such lands. They didnot re-cultivate or rehabilitate the plantations, machinery or factories.They sold whatever they could.

The superintendents and those in the middle level management of the plantation sector, the professionals wanted to implement re-cultivation programs in their Estates. They were prevented by the Colombo based Directors. Even their two percent income was not reinvested though atleast 10 percent of the income should have been invested.

Q:As the Minister of Agriculture how do you visualise Sri Lanka's future?

A: Sri Lanka is very rich in natural resources. Except for the Tsunami disaster Sri Lanka did not suffer earth quakes or acid rains. Our climate and soil are ideal for agriculture. Water is also available all over the country.

We should however utilize these resources wisely and in an eco-friendly manner to improve agricultural productivity.