Under Deyata Kirula program:

New lease of life for Konakubukweva peasants

by L.S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

A series of integrated development programs have been launched by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agriculture Research and Training Institute (HARTI) in the Konakubukweva Grama Niladari division, one of the remotest in the Anuradhapura district under the “Dayata Kirula 2012” - National Development program.

Kitchenware was presented to a member of the Village Development Society

Over forty year research experience was largely instrumental in upgrading the living conditions of the Konakubukweva peasants during the last few months, HARTI Director Lalith Kantha Shantha Jayasekera said.

He said the Agriculture Ministry has decided to launch similar programs in seven districts in the near future as the Konakubukweva project was a total success.

Agriculture Development Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Women’s Affairs and Child Development Minister and Anuradhapura district MP Tissa Karalliyadde, North Central Provincial Council Agriculture Minister, H.K. Nandasena with heads of the various ministries and departments toured the Konakubukweva village last Sunday.

They participated in several events, recommissioning the reconstructed tanks, vegetable and handicraft sales centres and small pocket meetings - where self-employment instrument kits were gifted to the villagers.

Addressing the villagers after distributing agriculture equipment and self-employment instrument kits to Konakubukweva farmer organisation, the Agriculture Minister said that it is the aim of the government to uplift the living standards of the rural folk.

Water was released from the reconstructed tank to paddy fields by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena

New SLTB bus service from Konakubukweva-Kahatagasdigiliya

He said that the follow-up action on sustainable development projects launched to mark the ‘Dayata Kirula 2012’ Development project will continue in the next three years.

The Women’s Affairs and Child Development Minister Tissa Karalliyadde said that a number of multi million Infrastructure Development Projects, Irrigation, Agriculture and Social Development projects were launched to mark the ‘Dayata Kirula 2012’. The funds were released to all MPs of the district to launch development projects in their electorates.

The people get more job opportunities and an additional income as well, the Minister stated.

The head of the Research Division and Deputy Director HARTI Dr. L.P. Rupasena said that the village development system implemented at Konakubukweva village was another successful experimental exercise.

HARTI is the only public sector research institute in Sri Lanka. During the last 40 years, HARTI disseminated its research findings and knowledge to the country, especially to farmer community, he said.

Dr. Rupasena said that the Integrated village development system which was introduced to Konakubukweva village, aims at developing all segments, of the village agriculture sector such as cultivation, seeds, extension loans and marketing.

He said a village cannot be developed only on agriculture. There should be a integrated development approach where all the key areas of the village economy would be directly addressed. That is why the tanks and the roads were reconstructed and self-employment projects were launched under the Konakubukweva project. The final result will be sustainable development in a village, he said.Konakubukweva Grama Niladhari Sisira Kumara Karunadasa said that the results of the village development programme implemented by HARTI was commendable. Rehabilitation of eleven tanks home garden cultivation programme in which 215 houses were engaged and the vocational training programs were carried out under the guidance of the HARTI officials, he said.

Pix: Sudam Gunasinghe and Hidogama Chitraratna Kaluarachchi