Commendable decision

The decision taken by the Government to ban the import of all food items that can be locally grown, within the next two years is a commendable one and in fact is long overdue.

Agriculture Minister Maithripala Sirisena announcing the Government stand during an awareness program about the National Food Week under the Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu food production drive harked back to the country’s proud agricultural civilization dating back 2,500 years implying that this should act as an impetus to make the country self sufficient in food once again.

Today, the country is saddled with a huge import bill on food items that could easily be produced locally. There was a time, in the not too distant past, when even kankun was imported, earning for the then Trade Minister many a brickbat from the Opposition.

True, time and again there is a need for such imports at times of food crises and scarcities to cater to the public demand. That is why the Government is sometimes forced to import items such as rice and potatoes during crop failure or, in the case of rice, the failure of Yala and Maha seasons and crop damage due to floods or other natural calamities.

But there are times when the imports have been made even during times of rich harvests dealing a body blow to the farmer on the one hand while squandering away valuable foreign exchange on the other.

The Government is also constrained in imposing harsh restrictions on imports given the dynamics of an open economy and it can only deter imports by imposing additional taxes and levies. But the time has come to look at the whole issue from a new perspective.

In this regard, we can learn a lot from India which has not hesitated to ban any imports that would be inimical to the interests of the local farmer as exemplified by a comment by former Indian Prime Minister when asked about India’s import policy famously quipped” Micro Chops - Yes. Potato Chips - No.

This is a policy that Sri Lanka would do well to adopt in the future regarding imports. Not just food items but also other goods which we could do without.

The early days of the open economy saw the country became a veritable dumping ground for discarded goods from other countries which saw a steady flight of our valuable foreign exchange.

Since those early days many laws were passed and amendments brought in to restrict such goods entering the country. Nevertheless we still see indiscriminate imports to the country particularly vehicles and other luxury items, depleting our foreign reserves.

The firm announcement of ban on the import of food items that could be produced locally should ideally be a beginning to gradually plug in the steady stream of imports that the country could do without.

However good the intentions of the Minister, this should be backed by proper incentives and concessions to the farmer to spur him on to increase production. Often times we hear how farmers who fall on bad times are left to fend for themselves.

There are even instances in the past where farmers had committed suicide unable to pay back their agriculture loans. Complaints are also made of farmers not getting their fertilizer on time and also been denied their fertilizer subsidy.

But the biggest challenge faced by the Government is the issue of mass migration to the cities from the rural outback by the next generation of farmers seeking greener pastures.

This is an unwelcome trend which should gain the immediate attention of the Government which has launched a massive food production drive and is planning to impose total ban on food imports. For, this certainly means the abandoning of agriculture as a livelihood and a break with a vital link of the country’s heritage.

Therefore, all measures should be taken to revive agriculture to its pristine glory by providing all the wherewithal and attractive incentives so that more and more youth would follow in the footsteps of their past generations and make Sri Lanka self sufficient in food. There would then be no need to import our essential food items at any time whatsoever in the future giving ample justification for the contemplated ban.

The death of an idol

The world pop music scene will not be the same again with the passing away of Michael Jackson the iconic star who strutted the world music stage for over two decades dishing out his unique fare which mesmerized millions of music fans all over the world.

No single music figure before him had received such fan adulation as the enigmatic star who rose from a humble family background to become one of the world’s most celebrated figures - another typical tale of black renaissance.

Perhaps the old timers who worshipped such legends as Frank Sinatra, Jim Reeves or Elvis Presley may not have taken to his brand of music which catered to an entirely new generation caught on by the new rage of modern music.

But there is no denying the aura and almost cult status enjoyed by the iconic pop idol for his unique singing style and stage performance that sent millions of fans into raptures.

No doubt Michael Jackson had a huge fan club in Sri Lanka and his cult status was evident with even ordinary youth with little or no English knowledge wearing Jackson hairstyles and Jackson T-shirts to proclaim their solidarity with one of the most extraordinary figures that adorned the world stage.