Protecting the farmer

We give little thought to the farmer as we consume our lunch. But his sweat and toil makes it possible to feed a nation of 19 million. The farmer must be protected and given all encouragement.

It is with this aim in mind that the Government has slapped an additional customs duty of Rs. 10 per kilo on imported wheat flour and increased the customs duty on imported rice from Rs. 9 to Rs. 20 per kilo with immediate effect. The Finance and Planning Ministry said the Government has taken this decision to protect the local paddy cultivators and solve the problems encountered by them in marketing their produce.

With the 2006 Maha Season at hand, this is a timely move. The gap between the prices of better local rice varieties and imported ones had narrowed, tempting the consumers to opt for the latter. The newly introduced duty stricture will sharply raise the prices of foreign rice while deterring large-scale rice imports, thus saving valuable foreign exchange.

The termination of the wheat flour subsidy and the imposition of additional duties will also help the paddy farmer. These measures have reduced the demand for bread to some extent, though the Government has assured that the new additional duty would not lead to an automatic rise in bread prices as adequate wheat flour stocks are available locally.

Some may argue that an open economy is all about choice and that consumers must not be penalised for wanting foreign goods. While there is some substance in this view, one must not forget that many Western countries which champion unbridled capitalism and economic liberation are highly protective of their farming community. They are granted huge subsidies and imported foods are taxed heavily. In fact, this is one of the most contentious issues at world trade talks.

In that light, there is nothing wrong in a developing country such as Sri Lanka adopting perfectly legitimate measures to protect the indigenous farmer and agriculture. The Government has also introduced a guaranteed price for paddy and a fertiliser subsidy. A guaranteed price is essential to assure the farmer of the Government's commitment to purchase paddy and to minimise the exploitation of farmers by unscrupulous middlemen.

The proposed revival of the Paddy Marketing Board is another step in the right direction. The fertiliser subsidy introduced by the Mahinda Rajapakse administration has proved to be a huge boon to farmers previously hindered by huge production costs. Fertiliser is vital for modern-day farming and its availability at affordable prices should make the farmers' lives easier.

That said, subsidies cannot be continued forever in a country facing a myriad of economic challenges.

The long term goal of the authorities should be developing the overall economy and raising the living standards of the farmer to a level which will make him financially independent and strong.

The infusion of modern agricultural techniques which are less labour intensive, the use of more disease resistant and high yielding seed paddy varieties, proper storage and transport mechanisms and a viable disaster mitigation plan (for instances when crops are affected by natural disasters) are among other steps that should be considered by agriculture authorities. The maintenance and the development of the country's vast irrigation network is also pivotal to achieving healthy harvests.

Agriculture is the mainstay of our economy.

The farmer is an indispensable cog in the economic wheel. Protecting him is not solely the State's responsibility. Consumers also have a duty to support the local farmer by giving priority to local produce.