First Maha harvest ceremony today

Uditha KUMARASINGHE

COLOMBO: The national ceremony to mark the reaping of the first Maha paddy harvest will be held in Galgamuwa, Maharachchimulla in Dambadniya today under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Nearly 500 women representing the farmer community will participate in the harvesting ceremony due to start at 9.00 a.m. with the maiden harvest ploughed by cattle, an Agrarian Services and Farmer Community Development Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

Later, in keeping with tradition, the maiden Maha harvest will be offered to the deities. All these events will be conducted recalling the grandeur of harvesting traditions of Sinhala kings.

The day's events will also be followed by a cultural show in the evening organised by the Agrarian Services Ministry and the North Western Province Agriculture Ministry.

According to the spokesman, the UPFA Government's to provide a 50 Kg bag of Urea fertiliser to farmers at Rs. 350 as pledged in the Mahinda Chintana, has raised expectations of farmers islandwide of a bumper Maha harvest exceeding 2.1 million metric tons.

The Ministry has decided to conduct this year's national ceremony on a grand scale under the patronage of President Rajapakse and Agrarian Services and Farmer Community Development Minister S.M. Chandrasena.

Compared with the 2.01 million Metric ton paddy harvest of the previous 2004-2005 Maha season, this year's harvest has seen a record increase.

The Government has made arrangements to purchase 10 per cent of the 2.1 million Metric tons of the yield, he said.

The Government has already allocated Rs. 2,000 million to purchase this year's Maha paddy harvest.

In line with the Government's national paddy purchasing programme, a Kilo of Samba is purchased at Rs.17.50 and a Kilo of Nadu paddy at Rs.16.50, he said.