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A plot of the new variety ‘Derby’ at Magoda, Nuwara Eliya.

The harvested crop of this variety of a few plants within two months. (Pix. by Nuwara Eliya Group Correspondent)

Following the Government's positive measures and the initiative taken by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe together with Minister of Agriculture S.B. Dissanayake and his Ministry officials, there has been a boom in the harvesting of spuds during this Maha/Yala planting season in the major potato growing districts of Nuwara Eliya and Uva. Due to the earlier haphazard policies on this particular crop, several farmers and small scale cultivators faced severe economic difficulties, and it was the view of the present government to pull them out of such crisis.

According to the farmers in Nuwara Eliya area, the newly introduced 'Derby' a Dutch variety has given them new hope with high yields in shorter periods on a number of their trial plots.

This variety of seed spuds, according to these farmers are suitable for soil conditions and are disease free, compared with some of the common varieties.

Ananda Weerasuriya, retired Deputy Director of Agriculture, who counts thirty years experience in the Department of Agriculture and has undergone specialised training in potato seed production in several countries including USA, Germany, India, Australia, and Holland, which produce the world's largest consumption and seed varieties said that he was one of those who introduced this high yielding variety of Derby in the recent past, having undergone all the procedures including the quarantine requirements with the approval of the Director of Agriculture.

Ananda Weerasuriya of Nuwara Eliya when asked on the production of potato and the immediate problems and difficulties confronted by the farmers in the spud growing districts said that at present the producers were happy due to the returns and the profit margins they obtained in the recent plantings and harvests, due to the measures taken by the Government together with the Department of Agriculture. He said though the farmers get a fair margin, at certain given periods, yet they tend to face severe crises at times due to other factors, mainly on account of the exorbitant prices of spuds and Agro chemicals.

Hence, both the government and the Department of Agriculture should explore the possibility by increasing the local production of seed potato and also to introduce new varieties of seed materials, which are highly resistant to the prevalent diseases in the cultivating areas and thus bring down costs.

When asked on developments of this money spinning crop Mr. Weerasuriya said with the advancement of science and technology in agricultural pursuits worldwide, farmers too should keep pace with these new challenges.

He said that with the ongoing peace proposals, the suitable areas in the Northern and Eastern provinces, where potatoes were grown extensively at one time and also the uncultivated lands within this region too should be tapped and harnessed for production of potatoes and other crops.

Mr. Weerasuriya said in the plantation areas too, where there is an appreciable extent of uneconomical and uncultivated lands available in abundance, they too should be utilised for this purpose as a means of diversifying for such purposes.