Proposal to increase the fertilizer subsidy provided for boosting the harvest of paddy cultivation and for additional crops
Another stage of the awareness program series organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to inform the farming community about upcoming programs was successfully held on the 28th at the Matale District Secretariat.
On this occasion, attention was drawn to openly discuss the issues faced by the farming community and to provide immediate solutions for them. Officers representing institutions such as the Department of Agrarian Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Export Agriculture, Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board and Department of Agriculture educated the farmers on upcoming development plans and how to participate in them. The relevant officials were urged at this event to intervene promptly and provide solutions to the issues presented by the farmers.
Addressing the event, the Minister stated that since sufficient allocations are available for the “Knuckles Project” implemented in the Matale District, numerous agricultural activities can be carried out through the said project.
The Minister, pointing out that ensuring the country’s food security is the government’s main objective, stated that under the instructions of the President, a special institutional mechanism has been activated jointly by the Ministries of Agriculture, Trade and Finance along with the Department of Meteorology. He mentioned that as a result, there is currently no food shortage in the country, the importation of canned fish and green gram has been stopped and consumers are able to purchase rice at affordable prices.
The Minister acknowledged that after the current government came to power, the paddy purchasing operations of the Paddy Marketing Board, which had been disrupted, were resumed and that the current paddy price is not sufficient for farmers who obtain around sixty bushels per acre. He also stated that, therefore, without further increasing the extent of cultivated land, the government’s target is to maximize the harvest obtained from the existing land.
The paddy yield can be significantly increased through the special technical package introduced by the Department of Agriculture, proper water management, timely fertilizer application, weed control and the use of improved paddy varieties. The Minister further stated that import of maize has been stopped and a special program is underway to boost local maize cultivation, urging the farming community to join hands and actively participate in all these programs.
