Paddy cultivation streamlined in Anuradhapura

The paddy and other crops cultivation in Anuradhapura district have shown a notable increase during the last few years. Anuradhapura District Secretary and the Head of the District Agriculture Committee told the Daily News, although the necessity of paddy required for the district where the population is 1,034,102 is 186,138 metric tons, the paddy production expected ongoing 2023/24 Maha Season is 612,200 metric tons.

He said the contribution of the district towards the national paddy production is around 14 percent and it has been observed that the people in the district consume only 31.3 percent from the total paddy production harvested.

“It is our aim now to increase the paddy cultivation in total 137,648 hectares in the next 2024/25 Maha Season and cover 91,581 hectares in 2024 Yala Season. We hope that for reaching this target the North East monsoon from September to March during Maha farming shall fall in time and also get the advantage out of it for 2024 Yala effective during the period of May to August.”

Anuradhapura District Secretary said that it is expected to cultivate additional food crops such as maize, green-gram, cowpea, soya, undhu, green chillies, groundnuts, gingelly and big onions during 2023/24 Maha Season.

According to the District Secretary the cultivation as a whole during the 2023 Yala Season has been hundred percent. During the said season paddy has cultivated in 56,418 acres, additional food crops in 13,280 acres under major irrigation schemes and 30,548 acres under medium scale irrigation system in addition to 2,000 minor irrigation tanks, in Anuradhapura.

“We are now encouraging traditional paddy farmers to take to the cultivation of export crops for the first time in Anuradhapura district mainly cinnamon, paper and arecanut in addition to sour plantain, TJC mango. During the year sour plantation has been grown in 72 hectares, TJC mango in 18,806 hectare pepper in 25 and cinnamon in 30 hectares. Also under this programme 180,000 cinnamon plants, 34,000 pepper plants and 10,000 arecanut plants have been distributed among selected farmers on 50 percent subsidy basis”, District Secretary Janaka Jayasundara said.

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