Boost for big onion farmer

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Agricultural Development Ministry is exploring the possibility of freezing the import of big onions for period of three months or to increase the present Rs. 10 tax imposed per kilo of imported big onion to Rs. 20. This is to safeguard local farmers engaged in big onion cultivation.

The largest big onion harvest is expected this month. Therefore, the Ministry is considering the possibility of halting the import of big onions for three months with effect from August or increase the present Rs. 10 import tax per kilo of big onions up to Rs. 20, a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News.

Through this move the Ministry intends to provide a higher income to local big onion farmers, he said.

According to a special programme implemented by the Ministry to increase local food production and ensure food security during the 2006 Yala season, steps were taken to increase the production of big onions, he said.

A special programme was implemented in Matale, Anuradhapura and Mahaweli H Zone by utilising 4,618 hectares of lands for big onion cultivation.

As a result, nearly 64,522 metric tons of a huge big onion harvest was expected at this year's Yala season.

The big onion harvest is due in the open market from August to December.

This will be one of the record harvests of big onions. According to estimates, this big onion harvest will be sufficient to meet the local demand for a period of four and half months, the spokesman said.

The farmers have to spend Rs. 18 to produce a kilo of big onions. In addition, big onions are a perishable crop.

Therefore, farmers should obtain a minimum of 50 per cent profit from big onions sale while the opportunity should be provided to farmers to enable them to receive at least Rs. 27 per kilo for their big onion crop.

The Ministry has put forward several proposals to the Government having considered this situation to safeguard all local big onion farmers.

In addition, the Ministry has also proposed to the Consumer Protection Authority to implement a programme to purchase quality big onions to be sold to the public.