Govt on chillie self-sufficiency drive

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor

The annual requirement of dried chillies for the consumption of Sri Lankans is 50,000 metric tonnes. The Government still imports 35,000 metric tonnes of chillies annually to meet the local demand.

The Department of Agriculture made Sri Lanka self-sufficient in dried chillies during the period from 1970-1980. Now, under the guidance of Director General of Agriculture, Dr. Rohan Wijekoon, a massive program to encourage farmers islandwide towards the cultivation of chillies is to be launched by the Department.

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has instructed top officials to allocate funds to motivate farmers islandwide to cultivate chillies locally, to make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in chillies again, President, Kurunegala District Small Farmers' Association, S.M. Wimalasena told a conference of representatives of small farmers' societies in the Kurunegala district. He said the Government will invest Rs. 150 million for this purpose. Under the Divi Neguma national development program of the Ministry of Economic Development, 15,000 farmers in the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts of the North Western Province would be encouraged to grow chillies, fruits and vegetables during the next three months.

Quality chillie and vegetable plants would be provided free to interested farmers by the Government through Divisional Agricultural Instructors, Wimalasena said.