Do not allow filling of paddy lands: Minister

Agriculture and Plantation Industry Minister Mahinda Amaraweera advised officials not to allow land to be filled for any reasons, even though some individuals and groups try to fill paddy lands in the island and use it for various purposes.

He said this while addressing the Agriculture Development Committee meeting held at the Padukka Divisional Secretariat, where measures to be taken to get the highest productivity from paddy lands, especially in urban areas, were discussed.

There are about 10,000 acres of cultivable land in the Padukka area and the Minister instructed the agricultural instructors and agricultural research and production assistants to prepare a programme for the cultivation of vegetables needed by the city of Colombo and its suburbs.

Also, the Minister said that it is no longer productive to cultivate fallow paddy lands and also mentioned that measures should be taken to use such fields for other crops.

Cultivation using the Sorjan method has been very successful, especially in the Western Province. Steps should be taken to introduce this method or more advanced methods of cultivation, if available. Although there was a shortage of vegetables in the past, due to the Sorjan cultivation it has been possible to offset the shortages to some extent, he said.

"Most of the fallow fields are in the Western Province. So many people are asking for permission to fill such paddy land. But since the government has taken a policy decision not to allow the filling of paddy land, I have instructed the relevant officials not to make any recommendations for the filling of paddy land," Minister Amaraweera added.