Basil says country will be self sufficient in potatoes in 2014

Monday, 6 May 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government has implemented a novel scheme to purchase potatoes at Rs. 65 per kilo from local potato farmers with the support of the Agrarian Services Department, says Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

According to Rajapaksa, the Government is providing every possible assistance to local potato farmers to boost production in order to make the country self sufficient in potatoes by 2014.

He made this announcement at meeting with local potato farmers at the Economic Development Ministry on Friday. This meeting focused on problems faced by the farmers in the upcountry due to the decline of potato prices in the open market. The meeting was held at the Ministry subsequent to a request made by Nuwara Eliya District Secretary W.P.G. Kumarasiri from the Economic Development Minister.

“The country should be self sufficient in potato production by the first quarter of 2014. To achieve this objective, the farmer organisations should join hands with the Agriculture Ministry to boost potato seed production and evolve a mechanism to ensure a better price for their production,” the Minister added.

Rajapaksa emphasised that necessary guidance and assistance was being provided by his Ministry to realise this goal.

Over 25,000 farmers in the Badulla and Nuwara Eliya Districts are engaged in the cultivation of potatoes and 250,000 people have become dependent on this industry.

According to Government statistics, the country needs over 12,000 MT of potatoes per month but local production does not exceed 40% of the monthly requirement.

The representatives of the farmers’ organisation stressed on the importance of limiting potato imports when the market receives the harvest of local farmers. They said that the import of potatoes should either be suspended or limited when the farmers start releasing their harvest to the market to ensure that they receive better prices. It was also revealed that many farmers have refrained from cultivating potatoes as they are not receiving a better price for their production.

The Economic Development Minister in turn said that the country had already become self-sufficient in maize, udu and rice due to the agriculture promotion drive implemented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Finance Ministry Director on Finance and Development Dr. Sunil Jayaweera, Additional Secretaries of Economic Development Ministry Priyantha Mayadunna and Shantha Bandara, Nuwara Eliya District Secretary W.P.G. Kumarasiri and senior officials of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade, Agriculture Ministry and the Agrarian Services Department were also present.