Sri Lanka achieves self-sufficiency in peanuts

Peanuts cultivated as a food crop in the country have recorded a high yield doubling the local demand with the largest harvest of all time, Agriculture Department sources divulged.

Sri Lanka has achieved self-sufficiency in the production of peanuts with a record harvest of 64,000 metric tons doubling the country’s annual demand of 30,000 metric tons by the end of 2021, Deputy Director of the Department S.N.P. Weerakoon said.

He informed a recent high level official meeting chaired by Agricuture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera that the newly introduced variety jumbo peanuts have become a popular high yielding food crop in the country replacing the imported variety.

This has helped to save much needed foreign exchange spent to import jumbo peanuts, he pointed out adding that it can be cultivated by using organic fertiliser.

Minister Amaraweera directed the department officials to focus more attention on the cultivation of supplementary food crops like green gram and cowpea and cereals which can be cultivated without chemical fertiliser and agro chemicals.

He also stressed the need of increasing peanut butter and peanut oil production encouraging producers and farmers.

Although rice is by far the major crop for the country, about 5 per cent of the farmer families in Sri Lanka earn extra income growing and selling groundnuts. (Bandula)