Agriculture records 7.5 pc growth

Ministry expects higher growth during Maha season:

Uditha KUMARASINGHE and Irangaika RANGE

Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament yesterday the country’s agriculture sector has achieved 7.5 percent growth last year due to moves taken by the Government to develop agriculture as pledged in the Mahinda Chinthana manifesto.

According to reports of the Department of Census and Statistics and the Central Bank, the agriculture sector has made a 13 percent contribution to the Gross National Production during 2008.

In addition, the agriculture sector has shown five percent growth by the end of the second quarter of this year, he said.

The Minister was speaking during the debate on the supplementary estimate of Rs. 685,393,938 presented by him to overcome the losses incurred by the agricultural farms from 1976 to 2003.

The country’s agriculture sector achieved five percent growth during the second quarter of this year.

This can be considered as a significant growth recorded in the field of agriculture. The Ministry intends to achieve a higher growth in the agriculture sector during the forthcoming 2009-2010 Maha season.

The Government has declared the October as Wapmagul month to make this goal a reality, he said.

“Annually the Government spends Rs. 65 billion on the fertiliser subsidy. Therefore, the Ministry has implemented a program to promote the use of organic fertiliser for agricultural activities.

The Ministry will start model organic fertiliser projects countrywide including the North East under the national program implemented to promote the use of organic fertilizer.

Meanwhile, paddy production in the East has shown a 23 percent increase during the 2008-2009 Maha season. Arrangements have also been made to develop agriculture sector in the North.

Under this supplementary estimate moved, the Ministry hopes to achieve its expected targets and fill the local market from indigenous food products in the future. The agriculture sector has been able to achieve this significant growth due to the fertiliser subsidy provided to farmers free of charge and other facilities provided to farmers by the Government, the Minister said.

The Minister said the Government’s sole intention is to build a prosperous economy under its National Agricultural policy.

The Agriculture Ministry also intends to stop the import of all agricultural crops and food products which can be cultivated locally by 2011, he said.

The Government has been able to overcome problems faced by farmers in selling their paddy. The re-establishment of the Paddy Marketing Board has helped farmers to obtain higher price for their paddy, he said.

The National food production drive Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu launched by the Government has achieved rapid progress during the past few months.

As a result of this program, the Ministry has been able to re-cultivate a large number of fallow paddy lands which were abandoned over the past 25 to 30 years. The Home Garden project introduced under this national program is being conducted throughout the country in a successful manner.

The Ministry has also formulated a program to develop the agricultural farms and turn them into profit making status, the Minister said.