President makes recommendations to boost harvest

• Both Govt. and private sectors to produce high quality seeds and saplings
• Research aimed at innovations in agro field
• A new trend in fertiliser usage

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has made several recommendations to improve and increase harvests in order to strengthen the local economy to reach a better outcome, the President’s Media Division said this week. 

The President emphasised the importance of strengthening national agricultural economy in the context of the global economic collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The President said Sri Lanka should focus on seed and sapling production, usage of fertiliser, research targeting innovations in the agro field, storage and transportation and overcoming the challenges in order to achieve targets in the next two years.

President Rajapaksa made these suggestions during a discussion to review future plans of the State Ministry of paddy and cereals, organic food, vegetables, fruits, chilies, onions and potatoes, seed production and high tech agriculture at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday.

Annual potato production in Sri Lanka stands at 80,000 tons. Annual consumer demand is 250,000 tons. President noted that it was necessary to encourage the farmers to increase production to meet the demand locally, without importing potatoes.

Head of the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival Basil Rajapaksa stated that local productions could be increased via distribution of hybrid seeds and saplings developed using new technology to the farmers, and added that they could minimize the importation of potatoes by encouraging consumers towards consumption of substitutes. 

President Rajapaksa also noted that maize production next year will reach self-sufficient level. The President highlighted the importance of using modern technology in the production of seeds and saplings, and the requirement for conducting research in this aspect. 

Measures to minimise post-harvest losses while products were in storage and during transportation were also discussed in depth.

Recruitments to the Department of Agriculture have not been made in the last 8 years. President advised the officials to fill in the vacancies and devise a proper strategy to boost the industry. The President also emphasised the significance of the appropriate use of high grade fertilisers and a policy decision to motivate people towards organic fertilisers to ensure a generation of healthy and productive citizens in the country.

Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage, State Minister Sasheendra Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundera, officials attached to the Ministry and representatives from a number of agricultural associations were present at the discussion.