Shot in the arm for potato farmers

Chaminda Perera

In a bid to protect local potato farmers, the government has decided to purchase potatoes at Rs. 65 per kilo. According to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, the government implemented this programme with the support of the Agrarian Services Department. The minister said the government is providing every possible assistance to local potato farmers to boost production to make the country self-sufficient in potatoes by 2014.

“The country should be self-sufficient in potato production by the first quarter of 2014. Farmer organisations should join hands with the Agriculture Ministry to boost potato seed production and evolve a mechanism to ensure a better price for their production to achieve this objective,” he said.

Minister Rajapaksa said guidance and assistance is provided by his ministry to make this a reality.

He made this announcement at meeting with local potato farmers at the Economic Development Ministry yesterday.

The meeting focused on problems faced by upcountry farmers due to the decline of potato prices in the open market.

The meeting was held at the ministry subsequent to a request by Nuwara Eliya District Secretary W G Kumarasiri from Minister Rajapaksa.

Over 25,000 farmers in the Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts are engaged in the cultivation of potatoes and 250,000 people have become dependent on this industry.

According to government statistics, the country needs over 12,000 MT of potatoes per month but the local production does not exceed 40 percent of the monthly requirement.

Farmer organisation representatives stressed the importance of limiting potato imports when the market receives the harvest of local farmers.

They said that import of potatoes should either be suspended or limited when the farmers start releasing their harvest to the market to ensure better prices for them.

It was also revealed that many farmers have refrained from cultivating potatoes as they are not receiving a good price for the crop.

The Economic Development Minister said the country is already self-sufficient in maize, undu and rice due to the agriculture promotion drive implemented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Finance Ministry Finance and Development Director Dr. Sunil Jayaweera, Economic Development Ministry Additional Secretaries Priyantha Mayadunna,and Shantha Bandara, Nuwara Eliya District Secretary W.P.G. Kumarasiri, senior officials of the Cooperatives and Internal Trade Ministry, Agriculture Ministry and the Agrarian Services Department were also present.