The Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industry Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera said that it was decided to increase the amount spent for the purchase of parachute discs, which will be given to farmers under the subsidy basis for paddy cultivation in the 2024 maha season,
The Minister said that the amount allocated for the subsidy of parachute disks is up to Rs. 320 million.
Before, Rs.04 million had been allocated for parachute discs in the upcoming maha season. But the Minister informed the Department of Agrarian Development that necessary steps will be taken to increase the relevant amount as the amount is not sufficient at all.
75 percent of the money spent on providing parachute discs for paddy cultivation is borne by the government under the subsidy basis and 25 percent by the farmers.
Parachute paddy cultivation technology is one of the most successful cultivation technologies used to increase the yield of paddy cultivation. By this method, it is possible to use a minimum amount of fertilizer and no additional money is spent on weed control, which is the reason for reducing the expenses incurred by the farmers.
Generally, the quantity of parachute discs required for one hectare of paddy cultivation is 1000. Out of this 750 parachute discs are provided free of charge by the government and the remaining 250 have to be purchased by the farmers.
Minister Mahinda Amaraweera states that this step was taken under the government’s program to introduce new technology to the agriculture sector development in SL. In particular, the government target is to increase the yield of paddy harvest five times in the next six cropping seasons.
The minister said that the Honorable President Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe has instructed him to take all the necessary steps for the modernization of the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka and that is why he decided to increase the amount spent on providing parachute discs from Rs.04 million to Rs.320 million.
The Minister mentioned this yesterday (06) while addressing a discussion held with the Department of Agrarian Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries.
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