Special discussion on promoting the additional food crop cultivation was held at the Anuradhapura Provincial Council
A special discussion on promoting the additional food crop cultivation was held at the Anuradhapura Provincial Council yesterday (11th), chaired by K. D. Lal Kantha, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation. The Governor of the province, Members of Parliament of the district and officials of the main state institutions took part.
Additional crops receive only minimal promotion in the country in comparison with paddy, the main crop. By promoting them, export agriculture can be improved and the outflow of foreign exchange can be reduced. The dry zone has been confirmed as the most suitable region for this.
The Minister who took part on this occasion expressed his views.
“We are now giving Rs. 30,000 per hectare for paddy cultivation. From this Maha season, we will give that same amount for the cultivation of additional crops too. The reason is that additional crops have become essential for us. Also, a portion of paddy land needs to be used for the cultivation of additional crops. In addition to the fertilizer subsidy given for one-eighth of an acre, we will also give a subsidy of Rs. 10,000.
Growing finger millet gives three times the economic return of cultivating an acre of paddy. That is advantageous for the farmer’s economy. We have talked about agriculture for years, yet the farmer’s economic position has collapsed. A large share of additional crops has to be imported from foreign countries, and this costs a great deal of foreign exchange. We want to use more of the land used for agriculture for additional crops, without expanding the land under paddy any further. That is the basic need at present.
The main problem we have faced in the livestock sector is animal feed. Taking the chicken meat industry, the private sector has stepped in and developed it. Since we do not have the bird flu problem, we have also turned towards exporting chicken meat.”
