Government to import seeds, vegetables after Cyclone Ditwah damage: Farmers’ Union

By Mangala Pavithrani

Colombo, Dec. 29 (Daily Mirror) - The government is preparing to import seeds and vegetables following the severe damage caused to the agricultural sector by Cyclone Ditwah, National Farmers’ Union Chairman Anuradha Thennakoon said.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Thennakoon highlighted that although the Agriculture Department has large-scale seed farms, low seed production is a serious setback for the sector. “We have serious suspicions that some officials are not producing seeds despite having the capacity, possibly acting in the interests of imported seed companies. Currently, more than 80% of Sri Lanka’s seed paddy requirement depends on imports,” he added.

Thennakoon said that during the Maha season, cultivation covers 850,000 hectares, requiring approximately 95,000 metric tons of seed paddy. He explained that cultivating 50,000 acres of seed paddy could easily meet this demand, given that only 20,000 hectares are currently used.

For the Yala season, 400,000 hectares of young paddy are cultivated, with a seed paddy requirement of 40,000 metric tons. Thennakoon said that planting 22,000 acres of seed paddy would be sufficient to meet this need, Chairman said.

He warned that if the Agriculture Department does not prioritize local seed production and continues to rely on imports, the identity of Sri Lanka’s rice farming could be jeopardized, posing a serious risk to the future security of local seeds.