Separate institution to purchase paddy harvest - Ratnasiri

by Kalutara district group correspondent, Dayaratne Kumarasinghe

A separate institution affiliated to the Agriculture Ministry will be established to directly intervene in the purchase of the paddy harvest of farmers and ensure the highest possible price with effect from the next Maha Season, Agriculture, Public Security, Law and Order Minister and Deputy Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said.

The Minister said: "We cannot be satisfied with the existing mechanism implemented to purchase paddy. Therefore this new authority set up attached to the Ministry will not only purchase paddy but also agriculture crops produced by farmers at fixed prices."

The Minister made these observations at a ceremony held to mark the inauguration of the reconstruction of the Pelpetigoda Wewa in Poruwadanda, Horana on Sunday (September 4).

He said the establishment of a separate authority will be a great relief to farmers to sell their agricultural produce at concessionary rates.

It will directly help to improve their economic conditions.

Minister Wickremanayake said at present a large percentage of the tomato harvest produced by Matale farmers are rotting. The Ministry has made arrangements to establish another organisation to purchase fruits and vegetables from farmers and to introduce new technology to farmers to preserve their produce.

According to the Minister the Agriculture Department has no capacity to produce a seed to cater to meet the need of the farmer population countrywide. At present the Government provides only 11 per cent of the total seed requirement. Therefore, the Ministry has planned to increase this amount up to 22 per cent by next year.

He said countries like China have distanced themselves from the use of chemicals for agriculture production which had been the cause of many diseases afflicting our agricultural crops.

We should also desist from importing seedlings and try to produce them within our own country. New technologies should also be introduced to convert paddy into rice by encouraging the modernisation of our rice mills.

Deputy Agriculture Minister A.P. Jagath Pushpakumara said despite various false information published by certain media, the Government alone during the previous Maha season had purchased 84,000 metric tons of paddy at a cost of Rs. 1,210 million.

He said Minister Wickremanayake after assuming duties as the new Agriculture Minister has effected a number of changes in the agriculture sphere during a short period of time.

Horana SLFP Organiser Vidura Wickremanayake said the commencement of the renovation of the Pelpetigoda Wewa would help the farmer community in the area by overcoming their problems.