CIC Agri where humanity and agri business go hand in hand
Jayasri Jayakody in Hingurakgoda
The CIC Seed Farm at Hingurakgoda, located in the Polonnaruwa
District, will be asweddumizing 50 acres of paddy this year.
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P.M.D.Jayalath |
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CIC Agri Produce Outlet at
Hingurakgoda. Pictures by Saliya Rupasinghe |
Manager Livestock and Highlands of the farm, P.M.D.Jayalath to Daily
News Business that the farm’s yield will be also increased.
CIC farm is one of the largest seed paddy production farms in Sri
Lanka. The total extent of the farm, which is acquired from the
government in 1998 on long term lease, is 1300 acres out of which 700
acres are under paddy cultivation.
The farm receives irrigation water from the Minneriya reservoir to
produce high quality seed paddy. The highland area of the farm is
utilized for the production of perennial crops and livestock. CIC Seed
Farm has absorbed modern agricultural technology and enhanced
mechanization with protecting traditional Sri Lankan knowledge as well
as conventional agricultural methods.
The paddy area, which is of the total extent of 750 acres, annually
produces around 130,000 bushels and the farm’s contribution to the
national seed paddy production is 20%.
Ten popular paddy varieties, with various age groups, recommended by
the Agriculture Department are grown in the farm. These varieties are
categorized by grain size, as long, short and small grains and by rice
colour, red and white.
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Paddy
fields at the farm |
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Banana
plantation |
“When CIC took over the management of the farm in 1998, the average
paddy yield, which was around 60 bushels per acre, has gone up to an
average of 140 bushels under the new management.”
“A network of the out growers in the area is utilized to produce high
quality seed paddy by providing technical know- how using the farm as a
nucleus. Seed produced in the farm along with the out grower production
is distributed throughout the country,” Jayalath said.
The farm is conducting special research trials with the Agriculture
Department for testing rice varieties. The farm also has 40,000 bushels
of paddy storage capacity. Paddy drying at the farm is a crucial factor
to keeping the viability of the seed firmly since 100% of the paddy
harvested is for seed. The farm uses a special seed dryer for drying
paddy under standard conditions. Sun light is also used for drying paddy
under good weather conditions and the required infrastructure such as
drying floors is available at the farm.
The seed paddy produced in the farm is cleaned using state-of-the-art
processing machines imported from Germany to meet international quality
standards. The capacity of seed production is 200 bushels per hour.
“The CIC Farm has one of the finest buffalo herds in the country with
high yielding breeds such as Murrah and Nisi Ravi for milk production
and breeding,” said Assistant General Manager Crops and Livestock
Chamila Senanayake.
“We produce Sri Lanka’s best quality curd which is made under very
hygienic conditions and sold in all reputed supermarkets. The farm is
supplying many star class hotels with curd. The farm is equipped with a
laboratory and a milk processing centre and the milking is fully
mechanized.
Thirty acres of high yielding quality grass and fodder is grown under
sprinkler irrigation to feed the buffalo herd,” he said.
The farm has fifty acres of banana plantation planted with Cavendish,
Ambun and other varieties and CIC is exporting them to Europe and other
countries assisting the country in its drive to expand exports. A
special irrigation system has been introduced for irrigation and
fertigation.
Dry zone vegetables are grown under modern technology at the farm.
The latest introduced hybrid vegetable varieties and modern irrigation
systems such as sprinkler and drip are used efficiently.
“We are producing fresh green and clean vegetables to our own
supermarket chain and other eminent supermarkets,” Senanayake said.
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Seed Paddy
Processing Complex |
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Worker
tending papaw tree |
Fruit plants such as mango, guava, orange and lime are produced in
the plant nursery to supply quality planting materials to farmers and
are sold through the company sales outlets and dealers. The Hingurakgoda
mango plantation is one of the most important gem plasma collections of
Sri Lanka.
The first plants of several commercially important mango varieties
such as Willard, Karthacolomban, Vellei Kolomban, Ambalavi and Neelum
were planted in the Hingurakgoda Farm. The Hingurakgoda Willard is one
of the popular hereditary varieties and discovered by Hingurakgoda farm.
Many mango trees are quiet elderly and the farm management has made
arrangements to replace them gradually.
The farm has 60 acres of coconut, majority young plants that will
come into full bearing in three years. The CIC Farm also has 20 acres
teak as a forest plantation and a five acre Gliricedia plantation.
It is heartening to note that the private agri sector is also
offering a big hand to the development drive of the country.
CIC Agri Business, with their diverse interests, are on the correct
path, helping the country with ‘humanity’ while helping themselves.
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