Self sufficiency in rice

Rice being the staple food of Sri Lankans self-sufficiency in rice goes a long way in ensuring food security of the population. Yet even six decades after gaining independence the country continues to import rice.

Since the sixties almost every government that came to power promised self-sufficiency and even declared a couple of times that it has been achieved. Yet self-sufficiency in rice seems to be an elusive goal.

Though more and more land has been brought under the plough, rice production has not been able to cope with the increase of population. Even now the acreage under paddy would increase due to the end of the war with and the cultivation of rice in the North and the East.

Several factors have been responsible for this sad state of affairs. The UNP which ruled the country for nearly three decades neglected paddy production on the ill-conceived advice of the World Bank. The latter has been consistently advising the government to give priority to commercial cash crops and to entice the farming community to such crops. Fortunately SLFP led governments did not listen to World Bank advice. Had they done so Sri Lankans would have experienced famine during the recent world food crisis. The UNP not only neglected paddy cultivation but also dismantled the efficient system of agricultural extension officers. It also sold to the private sector many profitable and valuable State farms.

The education system did not give priority to the development of human resources required for agriculture. Though the extension of the University system in the recent past had opened more vistas for young men and women to study agriculture those who have majored in it are either without jobs or are working in fields far remote from their field of undergraduate study.

The biggest drawback that is preventing the country reaching self-sufficiency is the high cost of production. The industry has not been equipped with modern technology. Many attempts at doing so proved to be unproductive due to the inappropriate nature of the technology introduced. The introduction of high capacity four-wheel tractors is an example. Most tractors imported were used to transport construction material instead of being used in the fields. No serious attempts were made to develop suitable technology locally.

The ill-effects of the Green revolution which emphasised the use of chemical fertilizers is another factor. The continued escalation of fertilizer prices by multi-nationals resulted in a parallel increase in the cost of production. Further, the fertility of the soil has been badly affected by long-term use of chemical fertilizers. It is necessary to switch over to organic farming if agriculture is to be sustainable.

Sri Lanka could also benefit from research and their applications in other countries that have developed both flood-resistant and drought-resistant varieties of rice. Research could also be conducted to develop new high-yielding varieties from traditional varieties of rice that were produced in the country before the introduction of new hybrid varieties in the colonial and post-colonial times.

Ensuring food security also requires preserving the crop at least till the next harvest. Here again inexpensive and simple methods of storage and preservation should be developed. Self-sufficiency would not be beneficial to the masses if rice is not available at an affordable price. Hence, reducing the cost of production is an all time necessity.

End of an era

Master teachers from the Sinhala and Tamil speaking families in the rural hinterland are to train Colombo Royal College teachers in spoken English, said a news item Saturday.

It is an irony of history that the elite centre of learning that excelled in the use of kaduwa mesmerising the godayas by sheer fluency of speech has to learn Spoken English from the latter. The wheel has turned full circle. The end of the kaduwa dominance has begun.