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Getting ready for paddy
The Yala season has just begun. My week has been spent walking around, trying to ferret out information from those who are knowledgeable on agriculture - mainly to keep costs of production down and prevent ourselves from making costly blunders.
The biggest blunder one can make is to accept the price quoted, without question, by those who undertake to do the land preparation. As usual they will try their best to drive a hard bargain. "Rs.4,400 only to do the ploughing?" I ask in disbelief. I sit patiently and work with the women - a projected expenditure for a two-acre field. It costs nearly Rs.40,000!

I am convinced that it could be done for less. So I phone a few neighbouring areas and ask them for costs. The price quoted is much less than those charged in our area. So I go to the Govi Jana Kendraya. They give me the prices and the man-hours required but the difference is marginal. I also ask them if they would tell me what paddy is best cultivated during this season. They give me all the information I ask. So I become a little bold and ask them if they would deign to visit our area and just take a look at the main channel. "It is too deep, and doesn't help to flood the fields," I complain. The officer informs me that the channels are meant to be deep, "Then only will the rust that forms on the surface of the field get washed away with the rain, thus lessening the toxicity in the field."

Anyway they do not have time to visit our area, not yet, because the area they are expected to cover is so vast. So the best they can do is to take an area each season and work along with them. "So which season and in which year are we scheduled to be visited?" I ask the officer, "Oh, that we cannot say as yet," is the airy reply.

I leave, preoccupied with my own thoughts. I am not happy with the explanation of the channel. True, it is best that the iron toxicity is drained. But this can be treated at the onset before planting and then drained. What is more important is to have the paddy plants submerged during the initial stages to prevent their roots from being attacked by insects. It is at this stage that water is most important and if there isn't sufficient rain during that period, then the water flowing past in the channel could be utilised for the task. Presently, when rain water is insufficient to irrigate the fields, farmers on the upper levels dam the channel to flood their fields, leaving those at the lower levels to manage as best as they could.

The best alternative I can think of is to build rainwater tanks at strategic places and thus divert the required water to the field, when the need arises, through proper channelling. The main channel then can take the overflow. Damming and draining at the correct time is important to the farmer.

It is this type of assistance that the state should focus on - not just subsidies to get rid of the fertilizer lying in storage and thus help the private sector boost its sales in chemicals. Paddy lands have remained in disrepair for ages. Those who own the lands, do not do anything either because it is not their problem. They do not cultivate it themselves but appoint a tenant to cultivate it on an agreement that is based on the fertility of the land.

Thus paddy lands are dependent on the weather gods for their prosperity, but man does not do anything to help the process. The tenant farmer too will work the field, but not do anything to improve it. Of course, if the state or an aid agency is willing to do it, then that settles it for everyone who has a stake in it, doesn't it?

The labourer, the man who owns the machinery, and government officers play an important role in rice production. (This is based on my vantage point).

Rice is important to our population and the country will not be able to survive without this commodity. High prices and problems pertaining to paddy cultivation are not new. Most of these problems were recorded even as far back as 1817 and are still the same today. But remedial measures have been negligible.

One cannot expect a profit from rice but if one can cover costs, with standards being maintained, then that is an achievement. After all, we Sri Lankans do need our meal of rice!

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