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Program to improve quality of minor crops

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Agriculture and Livestock Ministry has taken immediate steps to upgrade the quality of all minor export agriculture crops with the intention of increasing foreign exchange earnings and improving the economic conditions of a large number of farmers.

"Annually Sri Lanka exports over 50 per cent of minor agricultural crops. This includes all varieties of spices and beverages like cocoa and coffee. Due to the decline in the quality of minor export agriculture crops, Sri Lanka has lost 34 per cent of foreign exchange earnings during the past 10 years. As a result, the Ministry has focused immediate attention to improve the quality of these export crops."

The Department of Export Agriculture in collaboration with the Agriculture Faculty of the Peradeniya University conducted a national workshop at the Export Crop In-service Training Institute, Matale to discuss ways and means of improving the quality of export agriculture crops, a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News.

The Spice Producers and Exporters Association and several Government and nongovernmental organisations also participated in this national workshop.

The spokesman said: "The workshop highlighted the fact that as a result of the Indo-Lanka Trade Agreement, the market opportunities for export agriculture crops have been expanded. But the countries who purchased these crops have laid key emphasis on the high quality of these products."

As a remedy, the workshop stressed the need for improving quality, maintenance, manuring and harvesting of export agriculture crops at the proper time to minimise insect diseases and the use of insecticides.

The Ministry has focused key attention on utilising only organic ingredients for the cultivation of minor agriculture crops. At present a substantial potential has been created globally on the organic based products, particulary in European countries.

"In future, the Ministry will take steps to export spices only as organic products. This initiative will assist farmers to increase their income and minimise their production cost," he said.

The Ministry will also look into the market and introduce quality products.

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