Sri Lanka self-sufficient in rice production

By Mohammed NAALIR

The agriculture sector of Sri Lanka has a long history, beginning since the migration of Aryans after the era of King Vijaya. The agricultural activities commenced in Malwathu Oya Valley close to Anuradhapura, Wildlife Minister S. M. Chandrasena said.

He said during the days of yore people were engaged in paddy cultivation depending on rains using manual methods. Realising the necessity to save water to facilitate paddy fields and other crop cultivations, the Kings who ruled this country constructed tanks at proper locations. The domestic Kings laid a strong foundation to the irrigation as well as agriculture systems of this country.

The Minister said that the people who were depending on rainy water, bulls and buffaloes to conduct paddy cultivation have now become users of modern equipment and machineries. The people who manually reaped paddy are now using giant machineries in the harvesting process.

Enough insecticides, weedecides and fertilizer varieties are available in the market. This has resulted in the increase of paddy harvest.

The agricultural Officers who were trained abroad provide timely instructions and guidelines to farmers to uplift the agriculture industry.

Minister Chandrasena said that the Agrarian Services Ministry plans to promote compost fertilizer among farmers. This move of the Government will help minimise the environmental pollution. The people who use chemical fertilizer will not be discouraged. Anyhow, the Government targets to minimise the use of chemical fertilizer.

With a view to encourage the farmers towards compost fertilizer the Government plans to distribute a percentage of fertilizer to farmers free of charge, he said.

The Minister also stressed the necessity of making aware of farmers of the advantages compost and the disadvantages of chemical fertilizers.

The Agrarian Services Ministry plans to construct a large number of tanks throughout the country including the North and the East under the "Mahinda Chinthana" program. The existing canals and reservoir bunds will be renovated while constructing small irrigation canals. The agrarian service centres will also be developed.

A large number of cultivable lands which were abandoned due to conflict in the North and East have come under plough. Agricultural activities in eight districts in the North and East had been affected for nearly 30 years. It was a great loss to the country's economic growth. The reservoirs, canals and bunds had been severely damaged by LTTE.

After the elimination of LTTE, the Government started the economic battle to win the economic challenges. No sooner peace dawned, the Government implemented giant infrastructure development projects in the North and East to raise the economic standards of the conflict-affected community. These regions prevailed as the ghost city is turning into a hub of prosperity. A large area of paddy lands have come under plough that has resulted in more paddy harvest this year, Minister Chandrasena said.

The Minister said that the Government has distributed agricultural equipment, machineries and tractors to the farmers in the conflict affected areas.

Economic Development Ministry granted seed paddy and fertilizer to resettled farmers. The improper lands were preserved for agricultural purposes. The Government is providing enough facilities to the farmers in the North and the East to rebuild their economy. Now the farmers are freely engaged in agriculture activities.

Paddy production has increased considerably since the recent past. Paddy production has gone up from 100 to 117 percent last year. This has caused various problems in the marketing process of paddy, the Minister said.

Minister Chandrasena said that the Government is purchasing one kilo Samba at Rs. 30 and Nadu at Rs. 28. excessive production exert influence in paddy price in the open market. The Ministries of Agrarian Services and Wildlife, Cooperative and Internal Trades, Agriculture, Water Management and Irrigation have held discussions in relation to the price of paddy, Minister Chandrasena said.

The Government is planning to export rice. "We have achieved self-sufficiency in rice production. Until the recent past we imported rice. Now that state has changed", the Minister said.

When the Minister was asked in connection with Rs. 40 demand for one kilo paddy by farmers, the Minister said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is preparing a Cabinet paper to offer Rs. 40 to one kilo paddy if only composed fertilizer was used.

The Government is distributing fertilizer to the farmers in the North and East on a subsidised basis uninterruptedly. Steps will be taken to promote the use of compost fertilizer in the cultivation process.

Besides the Government has distributed 500 tractors to 15 Agrarian societies in the North. Small and medium level canals have also been renovated.

Last year, the Government spent over Rs. 50 billion for fertilizer subsidy. Rs. 33 billion has been allocated for the coming Yala Season. It would not be sufficient, the Minister said. Subsidy is granted to rubber, coconut, vegetable and fruit production in the North and the East. A 50 kilo pack of paddy is distributed at Rs. 1,200. A fifty kilo pack of fertilizer for paddy cultivation is distributed at Rs. 350.

The Government has implemented this program to promote the by-crop sector.

The Government has implemented various projects under the Divi Neguma Home Garden program to promote the cultivation of chillie, Kowpea, greengram, oriddhall, maize, gingerly and onion in Sri Lanka. Every year a large amount of money is spent on the imports of these items. In case these varieties are available in the local market a huge amount of money which is spent on imports can be saved.

The Government has implemented a special project to develop the ponds and lakes in the villages which are depending only on rain water. Then rain water can be stored in those ponds and lakes for future agricultural purposes. We will never neglect those areas.

During the past years, no attention was focused on farms. Vehicles had been simply abandoned. The state of buildings were also the same.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has allocated enough funds to develop these farms and seed production. All farms in the country are being developed.

All small and large tanks in the district have been developed, Minister Chandrasena said. Minister Chandrasena said that Sri Lanka's first agriculture museum will be set up in Anuradhapura.

Nearly 125,000 foreign tourists have visited Yala National Park last year. A large number of foreign tourists have visited Wilpattu, Udawalawa and Wasgamuwa national parks last year, Wildlife Minister Chandrasena said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa drafted plans to promote the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. All facilities to attract the foreign tourists are available in Sri Lanka. The foreigners are enthusiastic to see Sri Lankan animals in their habitats. Sri Lankan tuskers are the most attractive animals in Asia.

All national parks will be developed. Holiday bungalows will be constructed in the parks to provide accommodation facilities to foreign tourists.

"Due to hunting the invaluable animals of this country are reducing. Using Rukshalatha Wildlife Act the wildlife officers have nabbed a large number of hunters with the help of police. We have asked the public to inform us of such culprits. The Wildlife Department also conducts frequent raids in the forests and the wildlife parks.

If present regulations are not sufficient, stringent laws will be enforced to protect the wild animals from destruction, according to Minister Chandrasena.

A Bill will also be submitted in the parliament in this regard, the Minister said.

Wilpaththu National Park is being developed to international standards.

In certain periods the elephants become violent. The elephants should be protected during these periods.

An elephant sanctuary will be set up in a 3,000 acre area in Horowpathana. Plans are afoot to set up elephant sanctuaries in Veheragala, Maduru-Oya and Resvehera. The construction work of Horowpathana elephant sanctuary has already commenced, the Minister said.

The elephants can be prevented from entering villages. These places can also be promoted into tourism destinations, the Minister said.

Electricity fence is set up in around the sanctuaries. New tactics will be used to scare off the elephants from close proximity of villages. In this way measures are undertaken to minimise the human-elephant conflict.

When compared to previous years the death toll of elephants were high last year. Human elephant conflict claimed 87 lives and 207 elephants last year. In the previous year 105 men and 100 elephants were killed, Minister Chandrasena said.

The Wildlife Ministry has drafted plans to minimise both human and elephant deaths, he said. Under the Divi Neguma project plans are afoot to release monkeys into the forests.