The Tamil Diaspora and the business community should play a bigger role to turn around the North which has tremendous natural resources and human capital and a large unused land base, said veteran banker Rajendra Thiyagaraja (Pictured) at the recently concluded Jaffna Managers Forum in Thinnai Hotel Jaffna.
Thiyagaraja with 40 years of banking experience behind him expressed his disappointment on the fact that the resources available in all five districts have not been so far properly harnessed. He also highlighted the untapped resources of inland water bodies, lagoons, pools, and ponds. He expressed his view that the provincial councils could harness these natural assets of Sri Lanka to benefit its people. About the development of the fisheries, we need not grumble so much because our region has an abundance of marine resources.
“Despite the lack of any fishing harbor the contribution from all five districts to the ‘national fish catch’ was 40% to 45% and by constructing a harbour this could be scaled up.”
He also said no proper mechanism was developed to transport perishables to the marketplaces as Train transport is still not considered. Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Northern Province (NP) and either directly or indirectly, nearly 50% of the province’s population is dependent on it for their livelihood. “More than 40% of the arable land resources of NP are devoted to agricultural operations.”
Thiyagaraja said that lack of data or insufficient scientific information on the modern methods of cultivation is a drawback along with capital investment. These gray areas open opportunities for the private sector to provide them.
Smallholder farming communities with less than 2 acres of land should merge with bigger ones so that they would have a better bargaining power when selling produce.
“In most agricultural production, labor eats up more than 50% of the cost of production (COP) and mechanization will significantly reduce costs.When smallholder farmers with less than two acres operate as a group rather than on an individual basis, they have the bargaining power and also can enter into a buy-back agreement on a predetermined price before engaging in production both with prospective local and overseas buyers.”
The K.K.S seaport too should be developed. He also suggested investors develop mini wind mills and rooftop solar panels targeting over 100,000 families in the province on a buy back power basis.
“If we establish these types of mini windmills at least in 25% of the farmhouse holds covering about 40,000 farm families it will reduce the cost of production of the agricultural produce of the NP enabling its competitiveness both in local and export markets.”
The post “Tamil Diaspora should play bigger role to turn around the North” appeared first on DailyNews.