Techniques to down paddy production cost

Nimal WIJESINGHE- Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

The government will follow techniques to reduce the paddy production cost at district level and to do away with the poor and inefficient paddy processing systems.

This issue was taken up for discussion at the recently held Anuradhapura District Agriculture Committee meeting.

The Development Finance Department Director General coming under the Finance and Planning Ministry has made inquiries about the discrepancies at district level paddy production cost variations.

According to a recent survey by the Agriculture and Agrarian Service Authority with regard to the paddy production cost in several large scale paddy producing districts, it was revealed that the paddy production cost in Kilinochchi was the lowest per kilogram standing at Rs 14.62. Anuradhapura Additional Government Agent K B Hettiarachchi said it was planned to exchange views of the farmer community at a series of awareness programmes with regard to minimizing paddy production cost and draw attention to low paddy production costs being achieved in several other districts including Kilinochchi.

The Development Finance Department has emphasized in encouraging farmers to follow correct techniques in self-production of seed paddy, taking to the advanced paddy cultivation methods and the comprehensive drying of paddy enabling farmers to demand for a higher price in minimizing the heavy cost incurred in paddy production process. "The farmers in the Anuradhapura district sell their paddy harvest to the intermediate private traders even at a lower price than the government guaranteed price.

"It can be presumed that they gain profits by doing so.

As such, the expensive price as recorded which is Rs 26.82 in the Anuradhapura district to produce one kilogram of paddy is erroneous and in need of remedial measures," Hettiarachchi emphasized.