Budget 2017 ensures better tomorrow for agriculture

By Sisira Wijesinghe

Although Sri Lanka belongs to the group of countries that has been utilising new technology, agriculture still remains the live wire of the majority common man in Sri Lanka. Ancient kings, their ministers as well as ordinary citizens who lived in faraway villages gave priority to farming thereby promoting an agricultural economy in ancient Sri Lanka. Thus, all of them met their basic needs and other requirements including food within a society where agriculture was treated a pivotal factor.

Kings built huge irrigation tanks and canals, provided other logistics to enable ordinary people to engage in farming. Farmers, in return, did not forget to usher such immense facilities to ripe full benefits offered to them by kings.

Ultimately, the return of all commitments made by kings, their ministers as well as the ordinary people was a creation of a country with poison-free foods. People who consumed such authentic food were able to be proud members of a healthy nation. They enjoyed good physical strength and mental peace as a result. Unfortunately, centuries after such eras of peace and prosper, the good old days have become mere memoirs today. Have we achieved any victory in our food habits or agriculture? Or else have we created conducive environment to gain similar victory? 

It seems that the best opportunity has emerged today to review our past agricultural lifestyle or to engage in self-criticism over the past, because, the proposals that were made in Budget 2017 have given priority to the agricultural sector.

Prevailing agricultural sector

Sri Lanka was known world over as the ‘Granary of the East’ in a certain past era. Though this country was recognised in high esteem in the past, it is learnt that there are only two million people engaged in agricultural activities in the country today. The sad truth is that the gross monthly income of the majority of such farming families is less than Rs. 25,000 each. This money could have been a big amount in the previous regime in which certain ministers boasted that a family could live a month with a mere Rs. 2,500. However, it is fortunate that the current government and its rulers who take vital decisions, have been able to feel the pulse of the people, therefore, they do not want to follow suit of their predecessor.

Several major reasons have now been identified which caused to empty the pockets of farmers who provide a wholesome meal to the entire nation. The first is that our country’s agriculture has been forced to remain a dependent. The domestic agriculture had been isolated for decades.

There are lots of small time agricultural industrialists who depend on a limited number of crops that give them poor productivity. Such small scale agricultural industrialists should be helped to become large scale agricultural exporters. If modern technology and new agricultural techniques are ushered in this effect, and a permanent policy is implemented, our country will definitely be able to achieve the winning post of the global agricultural sector. If the country can achieve such targets, it will be able to save about Rs. 200 billion in foreign exchange which has been drawn out of the country to import commodities to produce food items and other agricultural related goods annually.

Bait to fertiliser companies 

and middlemen

Having made countless commitments and facing various threats posed by nature as well as wild beasts, farmers collect a meagre harvest, but, after all these obstacles, are they paid reasonably for their hard work? How many such unfortunate farmers have been exploited unreasonably? How many of them have paid a price by taking their own lives? If this situation continues further, it is questionable whether a government is required to rule a country.

To save the farmer from the middlemen, it is necessary to protect the farmer by giving him agricultural loans because they provide a wholesome meal to the nation. If a regular mechanism could be identified and implemented to purchase farmer produce at a reasonable price, it would be the best dignity a government can ever offer to the valuable community of this country.

No successive government in the past did intervene into this national issue but it seems that the current Unity Government has given priority to solve this burning issue.

Accordingly, Budget 2017 has proposed to set up and implement a ‘Farmer Cooperative system’ to empower the farming community. The organisation is meant to cater to the farmer needs such as granting agricultural loans and purchasing their valuable produce at a reasonable price.

Whatever systems are introduced and are implemented in full, there is a catastrophe that has been looming large on Sri Lanka. That is the use of chemical fertiliser which has been swallowing the entire agricultural sector of the country and sickening the entire nation. 

Therefore it cannot help telling that all these efforts will become futile if we fail to distance from the use of chemical fertiliser. Since the day the Government proposed to introduce a program to provide cash grants to offset fertiliser subsidy in order to discourage the use of poisonous chemical fertiliser, and train farmers to use organic fertiliser and other substitutes, lots of factions objected the program. 

It is too early to name them (including the so called political parties introduced themselves as representatives of the common man) as agents of multinational companies but we have one question to ask such factions who repeatedly clamour to provide this poisonous sack of chemical fertiliser to farmers. According to their conscience, can such gentlemen breathe peacefully by knowing the use of chemical fertiliser will lead to a disaster of the nation and poses a premature death for the future generation?

Turning wastelands 

into rich crop fields

Another major obstacle which blocked the development of agriculture is abandoning a large number of arable lands. These valuable lands have been ignored for years without putting them into some productive purpose.

Taking this situation into consideration, Budget 2017 has proposed to find out a mechanism to grow some crops in these abandoned lands and the Government has come forward to provide necessary facilities towards this project. This is a welcome sign for the farming community.

By providing such facilities, on one hand, it expects to ensure food security in the country and on the other hand, it expects a considerable development in the tourism industry. Maintaining continuous supply to meet the increasing demand for agricultural produce is another target of this project. Simultaneously, another main objective of the Government is to gain a considerable market share for our export agricultural produce in the Middle East.

In addition, it seems that Budget 2017 has drawn special attention to encourage farmers to use modern agricultural techniques and know how in order to convert their traditional farming into a commercial agricultural system. In this regard, modern irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and sprinkler system will be popularised among traditional farmers and their farming organisations. At the same time, entrepreneurs will be encouraged to start agricultural processing industries. The budget has proposed to grant loans in this regard under a concessionary interest rate of 50% to encourage farmers, farming associations and other entrepreneurs in this sector. To make this venture a reality, the budget has allocated Rs. 400 million to provide loans to the potential entrepreneurs.

All these are signs of prosperity. They are signs of goodness not only for the farming community but also for the entire nation. When the farming community is helped to become financially sound and mentally pleasing, the entire nation will be able to claim the credit as all of us depend on the wholesome meals provided by the farming community.

If all of us yearn to see a chemical and poison free country and a healthy nation, our sole anticipation should be to see a better tomorrow for the agricultural sector in this country.