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 areas.

The agricultural scientists say that the authorities had to consider this issue as well prior to importing coconut to bring down the prices.

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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 of the tourist Board further said to media that the islanders who have been there for generations would not be removed once the islands are given on lease.

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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 at Rs. 30 per nut at selected places and one person is allowed to buy five nuts each.

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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