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Thursday, 22 October 2009

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Government Gazette

Developing agriculture

Over two-thirds of the population lives in rural areas. Agriculture is their main occupation. Thus, developing agriculture would result in the uplift of the living conditions in the rural areas. It would also go a long way in reducing the incidence of poverty.

We wish to discuss several issues pertaining to agriculture, especially those that hinder its development. Though nearly one-third of the labour force is engaged in agriculture its contribution to the national economy is only one-eighth of the Gross Domestic Product. Obviously the productivity in agriculture is relatively low.

The low productivity is conspicuous in both paddy cultivation and in the tea plantations. While the former directly affects the living standards of the masses, the latter affects export income and living standards in the estate sector.

In both these cases raising productivity depends on the development of R & D. Unfortunately we do not spend enough on it. The increase in paddy yields has come mostly as a result of using chemical fertilizers which in the long run leads to soil degradation and many other negative effects. We are yet to develop high yielding rice varieties that are sustainable and that could be suitable for organic farming, a practice that could be the norm in the future. Of course, it was practised in Sri Lanka in ancient times when the country was a granary of the east.

Rice research in the world is progressing rapidly. New varieties of rice that could withstand climatic conditions as drought or excess water have been found. Since floods usually destroy our rice crops research should be focused on developing flood or water resistant varieties that suit our conditions.

We could also use advances in bio-technology and genetics to improve productivity in agriculture. This entails developing sufficient human resources for the purpose and allocating funds. The Universities and agricultural research institutions have much to do in this regard. A perennial problem they face is the lack of funds. Why not pool their resources and organize joint research? Collaborating with neighbouring countries within the framework of SAARC or bilateral and multilateral agreements is also another avenue to be looked into.

Unfortunately, private sector has shown reluctance and lethargy in investing in agriculture and agro-based industries and livestock farming despite several concessions offered by the Government. Compared to its role in other sectors of the economy, the "engine of growth" has been a sleeping partner in agricultural development.

Another factor responsible for the low productivity in agriculture is the low level of technology utilized. Application of modern technology in an appropriate scale could reduce cost of production. It could also attract youth who are reluctant to engage in agriculture in the old way.

Being a country with a small home market, it is imperative for us to produce goods for the external market. In the international markets it is competitiveness that matters. That is why even in the case of traditional plantation crops like tea and rubber we have to produce value added products rather than exporting raw produce. In the case of tea brand, development is very essential since Sri Lankan tea has to compete with several competitors. Our main earnings at present come from export of low grown tea to Middle Eastern and east European markets. We have to regain the European market for high grown teas.

Though Sri Lanka is basically an agricultural country, it has not received proper attention even after independence from colonial rule. This is seen in the mismatch between education and human resource needs of agriculture and agro-based industries. It is often said that University graduates find it difficult to find employment due to the drawbacks in the curricula or preponderance of arts and humanities among the graduates. There is also another side. It is the lack of employment opportunities in agriculture and related activities for agricultural graduates. We find many agricultural graduates switching over to other academic spheres such as general management and abandoning any prospect of applying into practice what they had learnt in the University. In fact, this mismatch extends to graduates in other subjects too. The reason is the near stagnation of our agriculture and industry. If they develop they are sure to branch out in new directions creating many new job opportunities. It is necessary to see both sides of the picture.

This could be rectified only through a holistic approach to planning and planning education as part of a general overall development strategy for the country.

Investment driving the economy

The current political scenario in the backdrop of economic stability had created a sense of satisfaction among majority of the public. Yet in the political dichotomy there were certain persons still trying to strike a pessimistic note regarding the record of the Government even after terrorism was defeated.

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The Morning Inspection

Pigging out on grubby finger-printing

Someone sent me a wonderful line from Nadine Gordimer recently: ‘The country of the tourist pamphlet always is another country, an embarrassing abstraction of the desirable that, thank God, does not exist on this planet, where there are always ants and bad smells and empty Coca-Cola bottles to keep the grubby fingerprint of reality upon the beautiful.’

Full Story

Nukes:

The balance of terror

You got to give credit to Benyamin Netanyahu. He is a fantastic actor and might put to shame some of the best that Hollywood can offer. He proved his mettle at the UN when he berated the hostage audience, comprising mainly the US and the UK cartel - often referred to as the ‘International Community’.

Full Story

 

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