Maha paddy cultivation limited to short term varieties
Sri Lankan authorities have decided that farmers be advised to cultivate paddy varieties harvested in a short term in a bid to overcome the El Nino effect.
A number of state sector stakeholders involved in the agricultural process like the Department of Agriculture, Meteorological Department, the Irrigation Department, the Mahaweli Authority, the two state fertiliser distribution companies, university academics and other relevant parties met at the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday to discuss plans for the next cultivating season – Maha.
In this respect authorities agreed to advise farmers that only three-and-a-half month paddy varieties need to be prioritised during the Maha cultivating season and request them to avoid planting the four-and-a-half month varieties. This, authorities have discussed, could be crucial to the harvesting of the crop early and avoid the possible lack of adequate water supply when the drought conditions resumes.
Longer term paddy varieties are said to generate a high yield while the short term varieties will bring in a lower yield. During the meeting it was pointed out that if the four-and-a-half month paddy varieties are cultivated, then farmers could experience the inter monsoon rains during harvesting. Rains during harvesting are not ideal.
However, any farmers insisting on cultivating the longer cultivating varieties should then need to do so during early October along with the October-November second inter monsoon rains.
But if the onset of the rains is delayed then this cultivation needs to be avoided and revert to the three-and-a-half month paddy varieties.
There was a consensus among all stakeholders to ensure that farmers do not delay cultivation and that land preparation should commence with the onset of the rains.
A decision was taken in this respect to advise farmers and ascertain any reasons for the non-cultivation of paddy early as directed by the authorities.
This group of stakeholders is to meet every month and discuss the way forward and the issues they face in resolving these concerns.
Moreover, the authorities have proposed to engage the media channels to highlight the need to cultivate on time. This information is to be shared by the media through electronic media, during a segment where the headlines and brief details of morning newspapers are read out.
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