A prosperous abode and a wonderful motherland

A. A. M. Nizam-Information Department

Continued from yesterday

For the aforementioned activities a part of the capital expenditure will be provided as a concessionary payment and to cover the balance amount a loan facility will be arranged.

In addition to this fishing associations will be formed by grouping about 25 persons involved in the industry and these associations will be affiliated with the existing fisheries organiztions in order to carry out activities related to development of fingerlings, rearing of brackish water prawns in ponds, rearing of fish in ponds, development of fish varieties in reservoirs, development of shell fish varieties, sea weeds and for development of fish marketing opportunities.

Self-sufficiency in food

Sri Lanka spends a large amount of foreign exchange at present for the import of several food varieties that can be grown locally. These include pea-nuts, green grams, black grams, pulsus and dried chillies. It is part of the Divi Neguma third stage goals to become self-sufficient in these varieties by expanding cultivation of these crops and restrict import of these food items within this year. In this connection, under the Divi Neguma programme arrangements will be made to cultivate these crops in paddy fields in which only one harvest is being made and in paddy lands that have been left abandoned, to cultivate these food items as a mid season crops in paddy fields in which two harvests are being made at present and to cultivate these crops in lands that are not being utilized for cultivation at present.

Arrangements have been made to provide 50 percent of the expenditure for these cultivations as an inducement.

Two coconut saplings for each family will be given to families that have not been given coconut saplings so far. These saplings will be given free of charge to families who have prepared their land by cutting the pits for planting these saplings. Arrangements have also been made to provide coconut saplings free of charge to those who have lands over 2 1/2 acres to convert these lands as coconut lands.

Establishment of plant nurseries

With more and more people becoming enthusiastic in the Divi Neguma programme and to get themselves involved in cultivation activities it has become necessary to increase the number of nurseries which can produce vegetable, fruit, cut flower, export crop, herbal and plants used for obtaining timber.

Therefore, under the third stage of the Divi Neguma steps will be taken establish new plant nurseries and improve the nurseries already existing. The Ministry has made arrangements to improve the infrastructure facilities of these nurseries. In this connection a maximum grant of Rs. 80,000 is to be given to the concerned nursery keepers upon estimation of their expenses.

Home gardens

It is a main objective of the Divi Neguma programme to make maximum use of the land available throughout the country. Therefore the Divi Neguma programme will encourage the enthusiasts to undertake commercial level cultivation of vegetables, fruits, pulsis, spices, minor export crops. Under these categories the cultivators will be encouraged to cultivate pineapples, banana, guava, pomegranate, papaw, cut flower, lime, oranges, cashew, saffron, ginger, vanilla and similar varieties.

Under this arrangements all required plant varieties will be provided free of charge. A concessionary grant of 50 percent of the expenses incurred for landscaping, fencing and fertilizer will also be given. Loan facilities will be arranged, if it becomes necessary, through Samurdhi or Regional Development Banks.

The Divi Neguma programme already provides assistance for poultry farming and breeding of cattle. Under this arrangement 10 hens, pens and other facilities are given. As an inducement Rs. 6,500 is given for such familities.

Promotion of industries

The Divi Neguma programme has identified 50 industries that can be promoted under the scheme. Already promotional programmes have been carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Industries Development to promote these industries and even train the enthusiasts.

Establishment of these industries will be encouraged under the Divi Neguma programme in areas where the necessary raw materials are available. The Industrial Development Board under the Ministry has even made arrangements to train the potential industrialists and provide them the dye or moulds they require for establishment of these industries.

Although the Divi Neguma programme is supervised by the Ministry of Economic Development it is a joint programme of several ministries that are involved in various aspect of nation building and consumer protection. Similarly it is a programme that should receive the unstinted support of each and every in this country as it is a programme projected for the benefit of the posterity and rescue the nation from a global food and economic crisis.

Global food crisis

As there is an eminent food crisis in the horizon and we have already overcome some of the effects of this crisis due to the visionary leadership provided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and ably assisted by Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, I think it is opportune to point out a glimpse of some predictions relating to the global food crisis so that the readers will be able to grasp the intensity of the global food crisis.

According to a report released on April 3, 2012 at the 'Planet Under Pressure conference' in London, drastic changes must be made to agriculture and food consumption around the world to avoid a global food crisis in the near future. According to a year long study by the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change there are already one billion people in the world that are undernourished.

Inefficient practices

It said the global demand is growing for agricultural products and food prices are rising, yet roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted.

Climate change threatens more frequent drought, flooding and pest outbreaks, and the world loses 12 million hectares of agricultural land each year to land degradation.

Land clearing and inefficient practices make agriculture the largest source of greenhouse gas pollution on the planet.

A report published by the http: theeconomiccollapseblog.com under the title '20 Signs That A Horrific Global Food Crisis Is Coming' states that according to the World Bank, 44 million people around the globe have been pushed into extreme poverty since last June because of rising food prices, food inflation is already devastating many economies around the globe. For example, India is dealing with an annual food inflation rate of 18 percent, according to the United Nations, the global price of food reached a new all-time high in February, and according to the World Bank, the global price of food has risen 36 percent over the past 12 months.

Concluded