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By Channa Kasturisinghe

Japanese Government has provided Rs. 450 million worth of agricultural equipment to Sri Lanka under its Food Production Grant program.

The total consignment included 20,000 metric tons of fetilizer, 105 units of two-wheel tractors, 22 units of four-wheel tractors, tillage equipment and six-units of combine harvesters which will be given to the farmers through the Agrarian Development Centres and farmer organisations.

Japanese Ambassador Seiichiro Otsuka handed over the equipment yesterday to Agriculture, Forestry, Food and Cooperative Development Minister D.M. Jayaratne at Govijana Mandiraya, Battaramulla.

The Minister said that some of the machinery and other materials received under the grant would be used in the seed production farms of the Agriculture Department to promote commercial seed production in the country.

"In recent years, we have been diversifying the selection of machinery under the Food Production Grant and moved towards purchasing different variety of land preparation equipment, combine harvesters for paddy and rice milling equipment. Since 1977, the customary items have been two-wheel and four-wheel tractors. We plan to introduce several other modern equipment for our farmers," Mr. Jayaratne said.

He said the Government also plans to obtain modern micro irrigation equipment under the Grant, in order to improve the productivity at the small farmer level focusing mainly on food crops. "The proposals for purchases we make annually for provision under the Grant are in keeping with the changing needs of the food production sector," the Minister said.

He said the Japanese assistance for the country's agriculture sector has always been a key input that supported economic development of Sri Lanka.

In addition to the Food Production Grant, the Japanese Government and people have provided us Grant Aid generously over a long period of time. The Plant Genetic Resources Centre at Gannoruwa and the National Plant Quarantine Centre are among most valuable aid provided to our Agriculture sector by theme.

"The equipment we received today would be very useful to our farmers at a time we are striving to meet our food requirements locally. We must double our food production capacity to meet the impending drought which is predicted to affect the global food production in the next three years," Minister Jayaratne said.

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