'Self-sufficiency in big onions by 2015'

Big onion imports to Sri Lanka will stop by 2015 when the country becomes self-sufficient in big onions, said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The self- sufficiency programme will help the country save Rs 6,000 million in foreign-exchange spent annually on importing 200,000 metric tons of big onions, he said.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa said so at a meeting at his ministry office in connection with the setting up of a task force for making the country self sufficient in potatoes, big onions and red onions.

The Economic Development Minister said cultivators should be encouraged to grow these food items and added that the country is already self-sufficient in sorghum, paddy and ulundu.

He recalled that in the past, imperialists had destroyed the paddy cultivation to break the will power of the people. The present government had today, revived it and made the country self-sufficient.

Sri Lanka's annual potato requirement is 130,000 metric tons. Of this amount, 40 percent is locally produced while 60 percent is imported. Out of the country's requirement of red onions, 93 percent is locally grown. Since the end of the war, red onion cultivation had gone up rapidly.

In the Trincomalee District, 11,772 metric tons of red onions were grown in 981 hectares in 2012 whereas only 3,077 metric tons of red onions were grown in 280 hectares in the same district in 2006.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa said all ministries should work towards making the country self-sufficient in rice, big onions, red onions and potatoes.

He called for the extension of the land area for big onion and potato cultivation and the introduction of special methods to raise production levels to get better yields per hectare.

He also drew attention to the need for selecting the best districts for such cultivations, raising the level of seed production, expanding storage facilities, identifying problems linked to marketing, paying the cultivator a reasonable price for his products and also giving relief to the consumer.

Potato cultivation had declined in the past since farmers had begun to give it up due to the lack of a reasonable price for their products, it was revealed at the discussion.

The need for stopping potato imports to revive the local cultivation was also stressed at the meeting.

Senior Minister S B Navinna, Agricultural Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Minister Reginald Cooray and high-ranking government officials participated.