Bumper harvest from Mahaweli areas

Uditha KUMARASINGHE

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority has targeted to obtain 328,008 metric tons of paddy from paddy lands in the Mahaweli movement at the upcoming 2006 Yala season.

According to estimated figures, paddy production in the Mahaweli areas in this year's Yala season will be worth over Rs.5,500 million, an Agriculture Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

Arrangements have been made to cultivate paddy in a total land area of 65,535 hectares in all Mahaweli Zones in the 2006 Yala season, he said.

The highest number of paddy lands are cultivated within the Mahaweli C Zone in Yala season which amounts to 20,338 hectares. The expected harvest from the Mahaweli C Zone is approximately 108,714 Metric tons.

In addition, the Mahaweli H zone cultivates the second highest number of paddy lands (13,796 hectares) in Yala season. Nearly 60,675 Metric tons of paddy harvest is expected from the Mahaweli H Zone, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, another 8712 hectares of paddy lands are to be cultivated in Udawalawa special zone.

The Ministry has also finalised arrangements to cultivate subsidiary crops within a total land area of 33,132 hectares during the 2006 Yala season. Of this total amount, 28,982 hectares will be cultivated using the irrigation while the balance 4180 hectares will be cultivated using rain water, he said.

Plantains will be the subsidiary crop which will be cultivated in the largest land area during 2006 Yala season. Irrigation facilities will be provided to a total land area of 5,735 hectares to cultivate plantains.

The Mahaweli Authority has also planned to cultivate plantains in 5894 hectares in the Udawalawa Special Zone which is considered as the key plantain cultivation area.

This year's Yala has also targeted to cultivate 1,777 hectares chillies expecting 4,358 Metric tons of harvest.

The other subsidiary crops to be cultivated includes onion (2594 hectares), maize (2753 hectares), peanuts (706 hectares), green gram (140 hectares), soya (3643 hectares), yams (1669 hectares), red onion (98 hectares), kurakkan (345 hectares), gingelly (823 hectares), gherkin (97 hectares) and vegetable (6,405 hectares).