Bumper harvest from Yala chili cultivation

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 02:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cultivation of chili has been successful in several districts and the Yala season chili harvest is being received in large quantities in the local trading centers.

Deputy Director of Agriculture of the Department of Agriculture, R S Wijesekera who is in charge of chili cultivation said that the market is now receiving the Green Chili harvest of the Yala Season, which was cultivated in thousands of hectares in Embilipitiya, Hambantota, Monaragala, Matale, Puttlam and Kalpitiya areas. He said that about 4 kilos of Green Chilies is required to produce a kilo of dried chilies.

Wijesekara pointed out that Sri Lanka imports 38,000 metric tons of dried chilies per year out of the country’s requirement of 50,000 metric tons. He said that is has been planned to locally produce the entire dried chilies requirement by the year 2015.

He said that measures are underway to cultivate chilies in 1250 acres of new land in the Matale District.