Archives

Savishakthi Organisation, a farmer organisation plans to import quality potato seeds and were able to find the best potato seeds in the world which have never reached Sri Lankan farmers before.

The imported seeds are distributed only among the member farmers of the Savishakthi Organisation and are not for sale in the open market, and are given at a concessionary price equivalent to price limits of government farms.

Savishakthi is an organisation of potato growers in Welimada and Uva Paranagama areas. There were several important factors which paved the way for the formation of this organisation. The first and foremost important factor was the lack of quality seeds at a reasonable price.

Sri Lanka's annual requirement of seed potatoes is around 15,000 metric tons, therefore an exorbitant amount of foreign exchange is drained out of the country to import seed potatoes.

Savishakthi has planned to commence a seed cultivation program and a suitable prime land has been allocated in Bopaththalawa. This will be a joint venture with the biggest seed producer in West Australia.

They have also commenced another joint venture in West Australia with the same organisation to produce high quality seeds in order to meet country's requirements.

In Bopaththalawa they will produce a seed called "True Potato seed" (TPS) which is very low in price, high yielding and costs less in cultivation, with that it is planned to produce other popular and traditional varieties of seed potatoes.

Their immediate target is to produce 5,000 metric tons and by year 2005 to produce 70% of the country's total requirements.

A team of Australian Agricultural scientists and directors of the Australian Seed Potato Producing Company now in Sri Lanka will hold official discussions with their counterparts in Sri Lanka. They will also meet farmers of the organisation and will discuss their problems.

The team will make a study to eliminate diseases and viruses embedded in soil where potatoes are grown and will set up an educational media unit to provide farmers an opportunity to study new scientific methods used in cultivation of potatoes.

They hope to introduce a new chemical free fertiliser through the Department of Agriculture, which will provide protection against insect attack, viruses and other harmful diseases.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager