Disease threat with coconut imports

(December 24, 2010) Sri Lankan agro scientists point out that the import of coconut from India may affect local coconut cultivation with new diseases. Dr. K.P. Premarathna of Agriculture Faculty of Peradeniya University said to media that diseases might spread with the coconut imported from India. Sources said that the Kerala state from where coconuts are imported to Sri Lanka had a large number of communicable coconut diseases. The coconut cultivations of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka has been affected by a dangerous disease and the Coconut Development Board has already banned taking parts of coconut tree from the province to other...

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Posted in Coconut , coconut diseases , coconut imports

Islands of Kalpitiya to be leased; future of the fishermen in the balance

(December 20, 2010) Sri Lanka Tourist Board has initiated measures to lease 10 islands in Kalpitiya area in the island's northwestern coast in a bid to encourage new projects to develop tourism in the country. Sources reveal that 11 parties have sent in applications to take on lease of the 10 islands in Kalpitiya. The Chairman of the Tourist Board Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said to media that the applications have been received by the closing of the December 3rd deadline to submit proposals. The applications have been forwarded to the cabinet for its recommendations said Dr. Godahewa adding that he expected cabinet approval for the lease of the islands by January, as reported by local media. Government sources say the islands are to be leased for periods of 30 to 50 years. However, the Chairman...

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Posted in Kalpitiya. tourism. islands of Sri Lanka

A late decision to ban felling of coconut trees of Sri Lanka

(Deember 20, 2010) Sri Lanka Minister of Coconut Development and Peoplized Estate Development Jagath Pushpakumara says that the government has decided to ban felling of coconut trees. With immediate efect under the decision, anyone who wishes to fell coconut trees will have to seek the permission of the Coconut Development Board. The Minister stated at a press briefing held in Colombo that the relevent gazette notification is being printed now. The government decision came as the price of coconut, an essential commodity of Sri Lankans rose drastically as a result of shortage of produce. Coconut, once one of the three major export income earners of the country has become an import as a result of felling of coconut trees in mass scale and lotting of coconut cultivations for housing. ...

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Posted in Coconut , Coconut Development Board , felling coconut trees

Farmer killer leptuspirosis takes over 100 lives in Sri Lanka

(December 20, 2010) The Epidemiology Unit of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health says that 107 deaths were reported from Sri Lanka so far during this year due to leptuspirosis. The number of leptuspirosis cases reported during this period is 4295. The most of the patients are farmers who catch the disease when working in paddy fields from urine of the rats that carry leptuspirosis. As Wikipedia says, Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease caused by spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira that affects humans and a wide range of animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. ...

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Posted in leptuspirosis , rat fever , rice farmers of sri lanka

Coconut; once major export, now imported

(December 16, 2010) Sri Lanka government has decided to import cocnut to eradicate the shortage and the escalation of prices. Sri Lanka Ministry of Consumer Affairs is now taking measures to import coconut, sources say. The import is to be done by next week. The amounts of import is yet to be known. The price of cocnut has risen sharply in Sri Lanka and a nut is sold atound Rs. 45 now. Coconut is a basic commodity of Sri Lankans that use the coconut juice in cooking curry. Meanwhile, the Coconut Development Board has taken measures to purchase coconut from state tands and to sell them at fair price. Coconut Development Board trucks sell coconut...

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Posted in cocnut price , Coconut , Coconut Development Board , coconut imports

Rice price escalating; buffer stocks processed

(December 11, 2010) Sri Lanka government says that the cabinet has granted approval to release 70,000 metric tons of rice from the government paddy stores to the market during the upcoming festive season. The aim of this measure is to prevent the escalation of the price of the Sri Lankans' major staple food. Treasury will release Rs. 430 million for processing paddy. The rice of these buffer stocks will be sold by the Corporative Wholesale Establishment and Cooperative Society department stores. ...

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Posted in buffer stock , paddy , Rice

Mahaweli land to businessmen while young generation lack land for farming

(December 08, 2010) Sri Lanka Minister of Irrigation and Water Management Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the land of Sri Lanka's Mahaweli development zones would be offered to the local entrepreneurs as and incentive. The Minister said to local radio channel Hiru FM that 50 acres each would be allocated to 250 selected local businessmen. The land is to be allocated to the businessmen for agricultural, animal husbandry and industrial projects, said the Minister. The farmers suspect that this can be a move to offer valuable farmlands to businessman close to the government while the young generations of the Mahaweli colonizers face a severe problem of scarcity of land for farming. ...

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Posted in Irrigation and Water Management Nimal , Mahaweli , Nimal Siripala de Silva

A national summit on paddy development held in Sri Lanka

(December 02, 2010) A national summit on paddy development was held on December 02 at the Plants and Genetic Resources Centre in Gannoruwa in Kandy district. The conference was held under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Experts in the cultivation sector and top officials are taking part at the event together with a number of foreign representatives. The participants reportedly focussed on identifying high yield verities of paddy, launch of eco friendly cultivation and many other issues related to paddy cultivation during the conference. Meanwhile, the department of agriculture says 1.05 million hectares of paddy lands have been cultivated this year. ...

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Posted in Agriculture , Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena , Minister of Agriculture , paddy

Restoration of GSP+ urgently needed to sustain EU apparel market

November 12, 2010, The Island The European Union withdrew the GSP+ tariff concession granted to Sri Lanka under special privileges to economically vulnerable developing countries since 2005, on 15 th August, 2010 in relation to what was regarded as shortcomings in Sri Lanka record on implementation of 27 International Conventions which is an integral part of the trade benefit.The last nail to the coffin seems to have been driven when Mr.Bernard Savage, EU Ambassador in Colombo has stated recently that the Government and the EU are not involved in fresh talks to revive the GSP plus trade benefits for the country. He has categorically stated...

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Posted in apparel , garment industry , GSP+

Sri Lanka government relaxes import duty on potato and big onion

(November 01, 2010) Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Anura Siriwardhana announced that the government has relaxed the import duty for potato and big onion. Accordingly, the import tax for potato has been reduced to Rs. 10 per kilo from Rs. 30 per kilo earlier. The import tax for big onion has also been reduced from Rs. 25 kilo earlier to Rs. 10 per kilo. The government says the import taxes were imposed to sustain prices during the prices during the harvesting period of the local potato and big onion farmers. The measure curbed the influx of imported cheap potato and big onion in the local market. However,...

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Posted in big onion , potato

Gannoruwa introduces new tomato variety

(October 23, 2010) Horticultural Crop Research and Development Institute, Gannoruwa, Sri Lanka announced the introduction of new tomato variety suitable for the island. The new tomato variety was introduced under project thrust Tomato varietal development via mutation breeding, according to the website of the institute. Senior Research Officer Ranjani Peiris said to media that the new tomato variety named as ‘Lanka Cherry’ is smaller in size and the weight of a fruit is around eight grams. She said that one hectare of the cultivation of Lanka Cherry would give as much as 17 tons crop. The harvest can be kept at normal temperature without...

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Posted in Gannoruwa , Lanka Cherry , tomato

Anomalies in distribution of subsidized fertilizer by government of Sri Lanka

(October 20, 2010) Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reforms (MONLAR) of Sri Lanka urges the government to rectify the administrative errors of distribution of fertilizer to the rice farmers under the government subsidy. The government spends Rs. 28 billion per annum for the fertilizer subsidy of the rice farmers to supply fertilizer at 4% of the actual market price. However, the farmers point out that some of the farmer organizations that are responsible of distribution of fertilizer engage malpractices. Farmers complain that the farmer organizations add high transport costs to the 50 kilogram fertilizer bag and sell them well...

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Posted in farmer organizations , fertilizer subsidy

It’s time to allow the hungry to feed themselves and the rest of the World

(October 17, 2010) The world is commemorating the WFD ( Oct.16 ) this year in a state where the food situation in the world is precarious . The lessons we have to learn from the experiences in trying to feed the world are very important. This is not because of the successes but because of the failures. The world leaders have almost come to a situation in which they need to admit that their efforts so far in trying to solve world’s hunger has failed and they are not in a position to find effective solutions. In the year 2000, the world leaders met and decided to set up the Millennium Development Goals ( MDGs), when they promised that they would...

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Posted in food security , hunger , Millennium Development Goals , Sri Lanka

Soya farmers in trouble of selling their harvest in Sri Lanka

(October 03, 2010) As the media reported the woes of Sri Lankan soya farmers who are in difficulty of selling their bounty harvest, the government has decided to ban import of soya beans. The company under the Ministry of Health that produces nutrient ‘Thriposha’ supplied free of charge to pregnant and breast feeding mothers of the country is to purchase the harvest of the farmers through the regional farmer companies. The farmer companies are to purchase soya at Rs. 95 per kilo from farmer companies while the companies buy them at Rs. 85 per kilo. The Corporative Wholesale Establishment stores at Welisala have been given to the Thriposha...

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Posted in Ministry of Health , soya , Thriposha

Statistics of extreme poverty in Sri Lanka's Western Province

(September 24, 2010) Sri Lanka’s Western Provincial Council has decided to increase the poverty concession to Rs. 1000 per month since 2011. Now, the extremely poor people of the Western Province are paid Rs. 350, an amount less than three US dollars per month. The poverty concession per a person per month is Rs. 150, just above one dollar per month and the maximum paid for a family so far is Rs. 350. There were 72,028 recipients of this poverty concession in 2009, according to Western Provincial Council statistics. Announcing the budget of the Western Provincial Council for 2011, Chief Minister Prasanna Ranathunga said yesterday that...

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Posted in concession , poverty , Western Province

Sri Lanka to adopt Indian method to store paddy

(September 06, 2010) Sri Lanka has adopted Indian method of storing paddy outdoors. It was first put into practice at the Walpita Paddy Storage Complex in Divulapitiya on Friday (September 3) with the participation of the Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando. Minister Fernando told The Island that six Indian experts were in the country to assist in storing paddy. The paddy loaded in gunny bags/sacks could be stored on a wooden platform on stilts and covered by thick polythene. That way, experts say, paddy could be kept in good condition for twelve to eighteen months. The Minister said that the excess paddy from the...

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Posted in paddy , Rice , storing paddy

Politics behind Sri Lanka paddy crisis

(August 27, 2010) Sri Lanka’s major opposition United National Party (UNP) Anuradhapura district MP P. Harrison charges that the farmers cannot afford a fair price for their rice harvest as a result of short-sighted policies of the government. The MP pointed out that the government that was ahead of elections imported 122,330 metric tons of rice from January to May 2010. He also highlighted that 30,000 metric tons out of these rice stocks are still in markets. The government accuses the UNP for selling 61 of the 378 paddy stores of the Paddy Marketing Board to the private sector. But MP P. Harrison said that some of the businessmen that...

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Posted in paddy , Paddy Marketing Board , rice farming , rice harvest

Ray Wijewardane: a scientist and a simple man

(August 19, 2010) Vidyajothi Dr. Ray Wijewardane was one of the top most scientists in Sri Lanka. His contributions are well known in the country and in the rest of the world. He is the person who first designed the land master hand tractor. One of his most favorite efforts was with aircrafts. He is known to have attempted to build his own aircraft and fly it himself, when he was only a young college student studying at St. Thomas's College, Mt. Lavinia. His first attempt failed and he crashed down flying only a very short distance. He says that he was given a public punishment for this...

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Posted in dendro power , Gliricidia , Ray Wijewardane

Rice prices expected to soar

By Saliya Kumara Gunasekara, LakbimaNews (15 July 2010) Rice cultivators are facing a dilemma as the government has not implemented a proper plan to purchase surplus paddy after the Yala harvest. As a result a farmer was forced to burn his produce last week. Meanwhile, in another incident there was an attempt by a farmer in the Ampara district to set a sack of paddy on fire while simultaneously setting himself on fire. The government is accusing the UNP of motivating the farmer to self immolate. “ We investigated the Ampara issue and found that a powerful figure in the UNP was behind it. The UNP is playing games with the lives of the people....

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Posted in paddy , Paddy Marketing Board , Rice

No programme to purchase paddy; Price declines worry the farmers in Sri Lanka

(August 08, 2010) The farmers in Sri Lanka’s major rice cultivation districts complain that the lack of proper programme of the government to purchase paddy has caused sharp decline in purchasing prices at Yala season. They also point out that the hyped state programme for purchasing paddy is a sham. The farmers point out that the price of a kilo of Nadu rice is between Rs. 15 and 17 while the government registered price is Rs. 28 per kilo. The price of a kilo of Samba rice is Rs. 18 and 20 while the government registered price is Rs. 30 per kilo, farmers of Polonnaruwa say. The private traders have taken advantage of the inefficiency of...

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Posted in Government registered price for paddy , Paddy Marketing Board , Rice

World Bank's Leaked Report on Land Grabs Contradicts its Advice to the Developing Countries

August 2, 2010. Oakland (CA): Recently leaked draft report from the World Bank, The Global Land Rush: Can it Yield Sustainable and Equitable Benefits, challenges the publicly held position of the World Bank on investments in agricultural lands in poor nations - a trend that has come to be popularly known as land grabbing. Although such investments have been hailed by the World Bank as a way to generate jobs and infrastructure, the report states, "investors are targeting countries with weak laws, buying arable land on the cheap, and failing to deliver on promises of jobs and investments," and in some cases inflict serious damage on the local resource base. "Conclusions of the leaked report confirm those of(Mis)Investment in Agriculture: The Role of the International Finance Corporation...

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Posted in land grab , land grabbing , World Bank

MONLAR initiates Zero budget farming in Vanni

MONLAR made an initial visit to the Northern region of Sri Lanka to find out the possibilities of helping the war affected and recently resettled people in Vanni, trying to negotiate their way forward through the rubble of what's left of their lives. To restart their livelihoods based mainly on agriculture which is also the main livelihood practice of the major part of the community there. Jeyapurm, some 40 kilometers south west from Killinochchi in the Vanni region was a strong hold of LTTE before it all came to an end in a heap of destruction, the end result of the 30 year long war in Sri Lanka. The ill-famed 'Black July' of 1983 (the mass...

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Posted in Killinochchi , Vanni , Zero budget farming

Paddy production, rice and wheat flour imports; boasting and reality | වී නිෂ්පාදනය, සහල් හා පිටි ආනයන; පම්පෝරි හා ඇත්ත

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Posted in paddy production , rice imports , Sri Lanka , wheat flour imports