No more tears for onion cultivators

Programmes to boost onion yield:

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

The Agriculture Ministry launched a number of programmes to enhance the country’s big onion and red onion production to meet the local demand, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane said.

“As far as the consumption pattern in Sri Lanka is concerned, red onion and big onion cannot be substituted by any commodity. Hence, there is a big demand for them throughout the year and the shortage has to be met by imports spending a large amount of money,” the minister said.

He said the ministry implemented a three - year project in all districts except the Western Province to bring new areas under cultivation and resort to off-season cultivation of onion to meet the local demand throughout the year saving foreign exchange.

“The total allocation for the project is Rs 20 million which has been utilised to provide seeds and conduct training for selected beneficiaries. Red onion will be cultivated on 117 acres and big onion on 257 acres. Provisions have been issued to all districts and the selection of beneficiaries has been completed,” ministry sources said.

The ministry also started a big onion seed production programme. This programme was first implemented in the Matale district and has now been extended to cover Mahaweli areas in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala and Badulla districts with no financial burdens to the ministry.

“In the implementation of the programme, primary attention will be paid to the selection of farmers from suitable areas and providing them technology.

Farmers having mother bulbs are encouraged to use same while facilitating others to buy the same from farmers having excess produce. Transporting of mother bulbs to Rahangala and Seeta-eliya for seed production and vernalization at storing are done at the beginning,” the sources said.

The new seed producers are provided with mother bulbs to the maximum of 250 g per one farmer. In addition, fungicides, polythene to protect onion flowers from rain and frost, fishing nets for covering to prevent flowers from falling, transport facilities for vernalization, packing materials (Crates) and racks to store production are also provided. Accordingly, farmers and officials are trained to make this undertaking a success.

“The target is to vernalize 400,000 mother bulbs in 2012. A group of 12 consisting of 10 big onion farmers and two officers undertook a study tour organized by the National Horticulture Crop and Research Development foundation of India (NHRDF) in April 2012 ”. sources said.

The programme achieved a profit of Rs 1.7 million. It has produced around 22,000 kgs of big onion seed locally benefiting 900 farmers selected for the programme this year.

The ministry also plans to produce 450,000 kgs of big onions next year with a financial target of Rs 20 million.