Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera has announced that the government-owned fertilizer companies will offer high-quality tea fertilizer to growers at a discounted rate compared to the market price.
Additionally, he revealed that the “Agri Tech-24 Agricultural Technology Vision” exhibition will commence today (March 02) at the Agri-Tech Park in Bataatha, Hambantota, in conjunction with the 37th Asia-Pacific Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Addressing a press briefing at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on Friday (March 01), the lawmaker elaborated that the current hot weather conditions prevailing across the island have led to an overflow of water springs. Considering this situation, farmers are urged to complete the cultivation of their entire paddy fields within a single day.
Expanding on his thoughts, the minister further said:
Furthermore, our aim is to integrate modern agricultural technology. We intend to implement innovative techniques such as the “parachute” method for planting seedlings. Farmer organizations bear a distinct responsibility in facilitating this transition. Additionally, we advocate for the utilization of Disk Plough and Mould Board Plough in ploughing operations.
It is crucial to highlight that farmers who have already adopted these methods are effectively attaining their harvest objectives.
Due to the declining availability of water, there has been a heightened focus on cultivating additional crops. Assistance is being offered to those involved in growing grains such as maize and green gram.
Moreover, there has been a recent increase in the prices of fertilizers like T-200, T-750, U-709, U 834, and T 65, commonly used for tea cultivation. However, efforts have been made to mitigate this rise, with plans underway to further reduce these prices. Consequently, both government-owned companies, Commercial Fertilizer Company and Ceylon Fertilizer Company, have initiated measures to manufacture all required tea fertilizers.
Our objective is to supply high-quality tea fertilizer manufactured by the two government-owned fertilizer companies to tea growers. This fertilizer is being offered to growers at a discounted rate, set at least Rs. 2000 below the market price. We believe that adhering to the government’s plan of providing fertilizers at subsidized prices will significantly contribute to enhancing tea cultivation yields. Furthermore, we aim to introduce innovative cultivation technology to improve tea cultivation practices.
Furthermore, 59 projects have been initiated under the high-density cultivation system, with 55 of these projects demonstrating notable success. These successful projects yield approximately 1350 kg of tea leaves per month from one acre of cultivation. This year, an estimated expenditure of around Rs. 1000 million anticipated for this initiative.
It’s worth noting that the implementation of such agricultural enhancement measures owes much to the visionary leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Without the merger of the Ministry of Plantation Industries with the Ministry of Agriculture, this program would not have come to fruition. Hence, it is imperative to express gratitude to the President for undertaking these commendable initiatives.
In addition to that, the “Agri Tech-24 Agricultural Technology Vision” exhibition, coinciding with the 37th Asia Pacific Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is scheduled to commence tomorrow (02) at the Agricultural Technology Park in Bataatha, Hambantota. The event, carefully overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, will take place from March 02 - 05.
--PMD
