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| Thursday, 8 August 2002 |
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by Indeewara Thilakarathne Jakfruit is considered the second basic food in Sri Lanka, said Director Editorial ANCL and Chairman Jak Development Project, Bandula Padmakumara at the function held at Sirimavo Balika Vidyalaya yesterday in the fourth phase of the Janasetha National Jak planting project, organised by the Silumina and sponsored by the Sevana Lottery. He said that jak is grown in every part of the country and is closely associated with our culture. However people are reluctant to consider jack fruit as a staple though it is a nutritional food. It was the late Arthur V. Dias who understood this attitude of our people and launched an islandwide campaign to propagate jak as he identified jak as a solution to a would-be famine. However this campaign died down with his demise. Padmakumara also said that the country spends a lot of hard-earned foreign currency on the import of wheat flour. We could save Rs 80 million if we stop eating bread on weekends and the money thus saved could be diverted for development. Imitiaz Ismail, Chairman Sevana lottery said that the country could no longer afford to depend on foreign aid. We should achieve self-sufficiency in order to defend ourselves against a situation where the import of food is no longer possible. He said if the people in Africa could produce flour out of banana, we could also produce a lot of food items out of jackfruit. Additional Secretary to the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry Sunil Sarath Perera said that Sri Lanka should prepare for the predicted drought in 2005. Schoolchildren should be encouraged to set up jak plant nurseries. Jak plant banks could also be set up in schools. He said Arthur V.Dias had launched jak planting campaign not only to propagate jakfruit as a nutritional food but as part of an anti-colonial campaign to create an indigenous economy. He said that intellectuals like Robert Knox and Emerson Tennent who studied in Sri Lanka had made references to jak. Principal Sirimavo Balika Vidyalaya welcomed the gathering while Mala Gunawardana delivered the vote of thanks. The programme was followed by an exhibition of food products made out of jakfruit. The Zonal Director Education Western Province W.B.N. Sadaratne, ANCL Chief Administrative Officer R.M Amarakoon and a large number of students were present. |
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