P E R C E P T I O N S

The Never ending debate about self sufficiency in Rice and what it means

2012-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

The arguments carry on and it is a highly politicized and emotive subject. Bearing in mind that Sri Lanka is shortly to assume a GNP per capita of US$4000 (target 2015) that is at current exchange rates Rs500,000 for every man woman and child in this country of over 20million we must take a different and futuristic view.

The politicians maintain we are now self sufficient in Rice production in Sri Lanka and with the news we were to give Somalia food aid in the form of Rice as our stores are bursting, is another feather in the propaganda cap of the government. The fact that our stores cannot prevent spoilage and rodents is another matter.

The reality is somewhat different. We subsidize the heavy use of imported, chemical fertilizer to the tune of over Rs50B a year to produce this rice and self sufficiency. The flip implies that if the govt. did not subsidize then many will not grow rice and therefore we may have to import rice. The other increasingly important point to consider is the high cost of labor as mentioned in the first paragraph, added to which is the scarcity of labor, both of which WILL impact severely in this drive to preserve self sufficiency and also increase exports, the latter being another objective of the government.

Due to the subsidy it does not require a rocket scientist to remind us that if we sell a kilogram of rice for Rs60 to an overseas buyer before freight and insurance, the govt by way of subsidy has already chipped in Rs20 as that is the subsidy. Otherwise the seller has to receive Rs80 for the same profit. That is bad economics. The photos show my efforts at paddy production in my paddy fields and one can see for oneself how inefficient the small-holders paddy production really is. The cost of labor will prevent me from carrying out a profitable operation in the future unless I go hi-tech using many labor saving measures, which can only be productive on paddy production on a much larger scale, implying that 90% of Rice grown in Sri Lanka is not cost effective, and is exploiting the inefficiencies and the perpetuation of poverty in Sri Lanka.

This analysis of the continuation of the status quo only to permanently keep people mired in poverty is not sustainable in the long term and steps must be taken now to predict this problem and avoid the unintended consequences. In my case I can improve my costs only by the following method. I must farm my property, along with that of my neighbor for a minimum extend of 10 acres or 4 hectares. I require earth moving dozers to grade the land and make large fields so that large 4 wheeled tractors can operate, and I am sure I can cut the cost of production in half.

The state’s continual policies of land distribution amongst landless, its ownership rules and restrictions with regard to sale of land and the archaic thinking that is now outdated all contribute to this fallacy that we are a land of farmers, dependent on farming for a living. The electoral politics where land is a highly emotive subject all contribute to the politicians who exploit these prejudices at the expense of taking people out of poverty and into a new thinking to ensure the survival of the rural family as an economic unit. We must give them the tools to get themselves out of poverty.

I have not touched on the very poor management of water resources, which I have been pointing out in my blog for a while, which also plays a major role in this argument. When a person farms a much larger extent using the latest techniques, then one is much less prone to waste water and is ablt to manage water. I have pointed out how in my irrigation canal, the farmer ahead of me diverts water to his plots and lets excess water flow out into the river, when I am starved of water to my fields, using the lame excuse that they are taking advantage of the water that they have been allowed by the way the canals have been laid out. Actually letting the excess water flow into the river is itself wasteful as with it flows some of the soil nutrients, but in his pig headed way is not open to another opinion, thinking it is just a means of exploiting him and his electorally won rights!!

The old techniques of transplanting have now completely been abandoned due to the cost of the exercise, but the lack of use of technology in this area leads substantially both to yield loss, as well as the high incidence of weedicide usage which could easily be prevented by transplanting methods which do not give weeds as much of a chance to take off, with mature plants having a headstart in being able to suffocate the possibility of weed seeds being germinated.

Getting back to the point of self sufficiency, exports of rice, and the fertilizer subsidy, they all need to be studied together to obtain an optimum equilibrium so that we are able to maximize on our comparative advantage in utilizing our most productive lands for the most productive purposes, instead of the wholly unsatisfactory use of existing agricultural lands that barely produce yields that can sustain farming families despite the fertilizer subsidies which are meant to increase productivity. I will not go into the need for renovating the water retention capacity of our irrigation tanks a subject I have written about on numerous occasions but which are all part of the same issue in being able to get the optimum out of our land without harming the soil, loading it with permanent damage from the over use of chemicals, and outdated farming practices that all contribute to environmental damage, all for no lasting benefit.

Seed Certification Bill (Panatha Ketumpatha) to be introduced shortly

2012-01-16T02:45:00.000-08:00

A new Bill will be presented in Parliament shortly to enforce ‘a Certificate of Conformity’ from the Department of Agriculture of ALL seeds sold in the Island. It will therefore be forbidden by law (liable to be prosecuted for non compliance) if anyone person, retailer or company sells seeds without such approval.

The reason perceived by the State in presenting this Bill is to ensure minimum standards of conformity for all seeds sold, as it is confusing to the farmers to determine which brands are reliable, and choose with no basis to ensure quality. The quality of seed is a key determinant of the productivity and profitability of a crop and in that regard and is considered the most crucial input in agriculture.

Consider the reality! Most overseas seed companies some which are subsidiaries of multinational grain, fertilizer, chemical and seed companies such as Monsanto, Cargil or Archer Daniels Midland will gain the upper hand as they have all the technical know-how and expertise to obtain such approval for their products. Most of these imported high-yield seed varieties are hybrids that require extensive use of chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides for their propagation to receive the ultimate gains in yields and harvests, enslaving the farmer to purchase the whole range of products suitable for their propagation, by the self same enterprises.

At the other extreme, I share seeds with my fellow farmers of local varieties which are not available in the market place, or those that are available show little sign of germination. Under the bill, I will not only be unable to sell these if I am the producer as they are ad hoc depending on any current cultivation, nor will I be able to buy similar seeds from farmers I happen to know, who grow cultivars of vegetables that are hard to find. In addition, growing varieties such as ‘Thalana Batu’, ‘Thibbatu’, 'Karavila' and ‘Thumba Karavila’ can only be done on an adhoc basis as seeds of these varieties in the best of times are not available, except the foreign hybrids which are really not the same.

My contention therefore is that the end result of the enforcement of the proposed Act would be to benefit these foreign seed companies and a few well established local ones, who have the resources to obtain certification. This will hasten the disappearance of local varieties which though have much lower yields, can be grown with much less use of pesticides and harmful chemicals be it fertilizer or fungicides to prevent diseases.

Instead, I propose that in order to safeguard the local varieties which need to be propagated and nurtured, especially in the event that organic produce becomes more popular that all types of seed be permitted, but those that have received certification obtain a special seal of approval, which will nevertheless carry with it a premium price over those that do not receive such certification. The farmer will then be able to choose what variety he wants. If the standards granting authority is suitably equipped they can even give different grades for the seeds such as A B C etc. which guide the buyer as to what to expect.

It is important that the Agricultural Department is armed with the necessary quality control tests to ensure compliance, and there seems to be less urgency in that regard. There is no point in obtaining certification, if there is no way of testing the quality adequately to give the certificate and only rely on foreign organizations for that reliance.

The introduction of this bill will ONLY help well established companies especially foreign ones to increase their sales at the expense of local operators. That is bad and counterproductive. I am therefore very skeptical, if the Bill will achieve what it set out to do, rather it will be a step backwards, though the intention in bringing up this bill is indeed well intentioned. Only a Farmer in the field will know the challenge of choosing the correct seeds. I can from past experience clearly say that the seeds from the same company can vary dramatically in quality, especially as to germination, and I am not sure this Bill will satisfy the simple issue of ensuring quality seed material at all times, by obtaining certification. Seeds so certified will also likely not be any different.

Let us go back to basics and ask, how farmers can obtain the confidence that the seeds they use are reliable? I would say to include ONLY imports of Seeds in this Bill and exclude local varieties, or give local companies the option of obtaining certification and NOT make it compulsory. When that is done the farmer must be notified as to choices available, as well intentions of those who have obtained certification, so that considered choices can be made whether to buy or not.

I have serious nagging doubts that this is another hair brained scheme for officials and bureaucrats to obtain money for favors,(for certification and licenses) a wholly unsatisfactory process, when the whole objective should be to give the best possible input for the particular form of agricultural enterprise farmers are engaged in be it for high yield, organic or home garden. Seed inputs VARY for each of these growing options. This essential difference in the type of agriculture farmers engage in is missing in this Bill and completely misunderstood by the law makers.

A few more days left before ‘Battle lines are drawn’ – let us nip it in the bud!

2012-01-02T01:18:00.000-08:00

The crate rule is coming round to the next installment and it seems the government is trying to placate the farmers by giving them veiled subsidies, fooling them with free plastic crates to farmer organizations, which I have already noted as being a very bad precedent, and absolutely counter-productive. They are aiming their fire power on the transport mafia, and in that war they can never win. This mafia has already extracted unprecedented exceptions by excluding a whole host of fruit and vegetables from the rule! In the end they are going to screw the consumer, putting it down to the government’s lack of flexibility. When will this government understand that whatever they do ostensibly to help the consumer, is only going to increase the consumer’s cost of the weekly food basket, not lessen it, as the Minister dreams, when he fantasizes about his expected gain in popularity.

A band of swashbuckling pirates in the guise of Ministers of the Rajapakse realm, is holding the hapless people hostage to rules, regulations, and route permits, when they must provide the infrastructure to lessen the wastage. This lack of understanding that the process of transport and storage is intermingled means they must look to examples internationally how other countries overcome this problem.

In the end it all boils down to education, both about the quality of the food that is grown, along with the safe methods of growing and then making the consumers aware of the difference between healthily edible against outwardly attractive, which will then change our consumption patterns to eating nutritious food. We can then address the cost effective means of achieving both goals of post harvest loss, as well as quality, wholesome food, to be cooked and consumed in a way to both prevent sudden bouts of food poisoning due to improper storage and the long term bouts of non communicable diseases arising from unhealthy eating, which is the gravest public health issue of the day. This is the need of the hour.

The lack of a proper perspective in food policy as it concerns both quality and minimizing wastage at all stages is what causes this type of hap hazard policy shift that rankles all concerned. This in my opinion is just glossing over lightly, by apportioning blame on a vital cog such as the transport sector when responsibility lies with all stake holders. This lack of vision on the part of the government as indicated in this blog time and time again in the past is what holds back any progressive thinking in this area. Let us all junk these Ministries making a hash of food production and food consumption and open the management of this to the private sector to show by way of such practices that the market forces can do a darn sight better than the state sector in this intricate process.

A sustainable approach in reducing cost of food production without subsidy

2011-12-25T02:53:00.000-08:00

Ratmale tank a month ago before the rains that made it spill

We spend Rs50B in a fertilizer subsidy using imported inorganic toxic fertilizer. I challenge the government to reduce the subsidy in half by increasing the cost of fertilizer and instead use the Rs25B saved to do the following.

There are over 10,000 tanks that need serious renovation, and restoration, along with 10,000 irrigation canals that require the same. This is mainly in the form of labor or equipment driven by labor for which most of the cost will be pumped back into the economy, rather than being spent on imported fertilizer.

I need not go into the details of the tank restoration except to illustrate one detail of many that illustrate its sustainability. The Minneriya tank that supplies the water to my paddy fields fills up within a week of heavy rain in the area. One thousand years of silting has reduced the capacity to about a quarter of its original holding capacity. How about a dredger to continuously dig up the ‘rom mada’ of the tank, and bag it and sell it to the farmers as good organic fertilizer! This will keep a dredger busy for a few years and will pay for itself as the revenue from sales will exceed the cost of the dredging.

The dire need for the irrigation canals to be restored will pay immediate dividends in ensuring predictable irrigation to the fields, which can then be cultivated with the surety of water, something I have no guarantee from my canal for Yala. This in my opinion will at a stroke improve the yields on agriculture and also reduce the concentration of the toxic chemical fertilizer that gets added to the soil and as there will be less run off by underuse, which will not add to health problems encountered in areas such as the North Central Province’s current epidemic of kidney disease.

It really should not take a rocket scientist to work out the benefit of this suggestion, considering this is actually infrastructure development for the future as opposed to the fertilizer subsidy that is a one off electoral carrot of dubious long term benefit to both agriculture and the nation as a whole.

I urge the government to sell this concept to the people at large. This is above petty party politics and is long overdue. There are thousands of acres that will come under the plough under this implementation which can only add to the nation’s food production and while some inefficient farmers may have to look to better sources of revenue, the efficient farmer will benefit and thereby the nation as a whole. So when I saw that only 600 canals did receive some form of repair this year as the money allocated was a mere Rs280M, I felt the need to point this out.

Why the government should scrap the crate regulation immediately as a New Year present to the Public

2011-12-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

My previous blog entries have covered the practical aspects of this rule, and why it is that it will not work in the Sri Lankan context unless it is tied in with a host of allied initiatives, when worked together will improve the quality of the food we eat and reduce the waste, from the farmers fields to the dinner table. This holistic approach will cover the loss from animals and humans at the growing stage, to transporting in economically sensitive means like rail, which can handle the inevitable increased volumes as well as cool transport that will preserve freshness and longevity and use the services of the latest technology of internet, mobile phones and sales statistics to match producer to consumer, via the retailer.

The Crate regulation only touches a VERY minor area of this food chain, and the transport mafia who engage in price fixing an even more insignificant part in the overall waste. If Jhonny wants to tackle the transport mafia he should first take steps to control price fixing, which affects both farmer and consumer. That issue is not touched on by the crate issue, though in his simpleton’s mind Jhonny thinks it amounts to one and the same thing.

He should begin by using the pricing mechanism to sell the large crates at Rs250 and a few rupees less for the smaller ones. If this is done for a year, I am sure the usage of crates when it makes economic sense will increase by leaps without anyone being forced into it. Now that half the volume of the transported vegetables and fruit do not come under the crate rule anyway, it is silly to force only some items to be transported that way. What if the mafia say no? Jhonny’s threat to use the Army or a govt. transport system is going to increase inefficiencies at the expense of the consumer and be a retrograde step instead of being progressive. So he is going to lose his job and the consumers will have to pay a huge price for their food yet again.

I have been trying to get my hands on the particular report that talks about the wastage, to ascertain if the information that the crates alone will lead to a 40% less wastage. I think not and it is but one area, all of which result in this figure. This then means the crate issue will reduce losses by say 10% at most and the increased transport cost, will actually make the costs higher, and not lower for the consumer.

This is not the time to play politics with people’s lives. It is time to understand the extent of the problem, and have a master plan to solve it. By this method all stakeholders can be invited to participate and adopt a 'best practice' method only. It is a violation of Fundamental Rights to force people to do something, which is not necessarily in the best interests of the majority, unlike driving on the left side of the road.

Not the last word on the ‘Crate Saga’ but some food for thought

2011-12-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

There is a lull now in the battle for crates. Bukki Johnston is now planning his next move in the New Year. He has got burnt and he is angry. I believe he must go back to basics and find out why his so called ‘Trader Mafia’ are reacting this way.

As I suggested the Govt. must order a million crates to be delivered in 2012, and agree a price with the supplier of Rs500 which is the supplier’s cost. It should then be sold to anyone who wants one at Rs250, so that there will be widespread availability of crates, and the price issue on crates can be eliminated. The cost to the government of this is Rs250 million which is peanuts compared to the fertilizer subsidy of Rs50B or two hundred times as much.

Once that issue is resolved, see how both the farmer and trader accept their use. If they think they can profit by this there will be acceptance. I know for a fact that the Rs1750 price with a huge cut for the manufacturer and the person given the govt. contract has added to the problem. Then it is the transporter and wholesaler who have to be tackled.

The increased volume is a huge cost to them, even the laborers at the Economic Centers who are paid according to the pieces they carry, will either cost a lot more and the number of vehicles required to transport will also cost a lot more. Both these will add to the cost of produce from farmgate to the wholesale market. So if Johnny maintains that the 40% wastage can be saved then say the transporter now has 20% more produce and therefore his increased cost can be matched by the increased volume. It does not work like that unless the retailer who buys from the wholesaler is willing to pay more for the vegetables so transported, which I am afraid is not going to be the case. He will say that much is wasted at his end when it is unsold at the shop front. Each one has a different agenda which does not work in tandem.

So it is better not to enforce a law that effectively impounds vegetable transporter lorries that CANNOT practically carry crates (4 lorries of the current type will be needed for the same weight) but to gently coax and encourage their use. Use the Cargills Food City example where they feel it is worthwhile as they buy direct at farmgate from a number of appointed farmers and use their own transport medium to get the produce to the stores eliminating a lot of middle men along the way. In this way they are able both to reduce waste, give the farmer better terms, get it quicker and therefore fresher to the store and the stores themselves have state of the art refrigeration systems to keep them for longer. However if you talk to Cargills they do this at a very high cost, as the transport is so much more expensive per unit as I have already mentioned, and they make up for it by saving on wastage. This is something the transporter or trader CANNOT do as they are in a middleman transporter business supplying a lorry and driver to move goods and make a profit from the difference between cost and selling price after deducting the costs of transport. This latter cost is what all the fuss is about. These transporters really believe the crates will not just eat into their profit, it will drive them out of business, as they will not be able to sell for a greater price to cover the increased transport costs, as the retailers are unwilling to pay just because less produce is damaged in transit. It is all a question of logistics, supply and demand and the costs along the food chain. You cannot fool people when it is their bread and butter.

It is plain that the government has not realized this equation and taken steps to get them thinking in the right direction before passing unreasonable laws. It is a natural way for the opposition to score a whole lot of points in making the case as I have above and explaining to the public that the most practical way to reduce post harvest loss is by attacking all the aspects and not just the crates.

It is interesting now that the list of vegetable that are not covered by the plastic crate requirement has grown substantially almost making a mockery of the legislation in the first place. It was interesting that the green chillies that now cost about Rs700 a kg has also been excluded from the requirement. In this case one MUST understand that the weight loss due to moisture loss is about 10% per day for the first 3 days from harvest. So the name of the game is to get it into the consumers’ food basket in record time for the farmer to benefit. Otherwise there is a HUGE price difference between farmgate and retail.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs can be fooled by the farmers and traders too as the former have no clue about the nuances I have explained above. There are many factors which must be considered and NOT just the plastic crates in isolation.

In summary therefore if I was the Opposition, I would make a statement that they oppose using the law, and instead wish to encourage by reducing the price of crates to Rs250 for the whole of 2012 only, and to ask those all round to use these crates whenever they can to transport fruit and vegetables, if it can be practical. If it is impractical it also means it is not cost effective. Unless the govt. is prepared to subsidize a whole host of areas from cost of vehicles, to fuel, they do not have the right to demand this practice. Show me any country on the face of the earth that has made this a law. I don’t think there are any and why should Sri Lanka be the exception to this rule. So Johnny should be sacked and the law set aside.

Plastic Crate Saga is not surprising bearing in mind the lawmakers are on speed!

2011-12-14T03:55:00.000-08:00

It is hardly surprising that battle lines are drawn on the enforcement of the Plastic Crate transportation edict. I reported this a few days ago (8^th December) in my previous blog entry that it was about to erupt. The government should have known better. You cannot change a lifetime of habit by an edict. It may take about 2 years.

So we all suffer due to government intransigence yet again. Yesterday 250g carrots cost Rs100. Can you think of US$4 a kilo of carrots! When I lived in the US in a farming area of the San Jaochim Valley a whole plastic crate of carrots was the same price, how ironic!!

What next? It was interesting that the Minister was extolling on TV yesterday that he has informed his officials not to prosecute farmers bringing produce in gunny bags if they come in Landmaster Tractors!! lest he would face mounting protest. He has therefore singled out the ‘large transporters’ for particular blame.

It must be said that Johnston Fernando, the Minister of Consumer Affairs maintained on TV yesterday that up to 40% of produce was lost in transport alone, and that the farmers would receive a greater income under the new policy. I dispute both facts. The farmers will receive no greater income, as they do not lose. They sell at farmgate. They are too poor to transport except in a few instances. The lower volume loss in transport may actually result in lower prices to the farmers!!

For farmers, the disadvantage of transport in crates as opposed to the current system in their tractors outweighs the advantages in a max of 5% of produce loss in their transport to the nearest wholesale purchaser. It is typical that the authorities have no clue about all the steps in the food chain, and have just taken a report out of context, without realizing all the steps in transport. I have dealt with this topic at length a long time ago as well, and my thoughts are still the same. If the Minister read my blog a while ago he would not have made such a fool of himself.

It is the trader mafia that calls the shots. The consumer and the farmer pay the price. Please keep the farmer out of this. He must have a higher unit price for his produce, and the continuing instances of oversupply that depress the prices to suicide inducing levels will not be changed by the plastic crate policy. As a transporter and a retailer as well as a home delivery specialist I can say that very often at the retail level a substantial amount of produce is wasted due to the lack of storage (refrigeration) facilities. That is a problem that is again not addressed by the plastic crate policy.

If you are a fruit stall with bunches of banana for sale, how much wastage of unsold banana do you think you have? It averages about 25%. So the trick is to educate them in the use of the excess unsold banana. Research into making some food items using overripe banana should be an important priority for ITI. I remember, making banana fritters from this but there are only so many fritters you can eat. Is there a method to make frozen fritters cheaply and popularize it?

Getting back to the main aspect of my report IT IS to find a compromise both parties can live with, as a face saving move. Now that the battle lines are drawn and Johnny does not want to look a fool in the same way he threw away thousands of coconuts from Kerala into the sea, and made a cut on cheap and unsellable eggs from India he is now into his umpteenth scandal. I also heard today that some close connection of his is involved in the manufacture or at least of marketing of the crates at Rs1750 each even though it is sold on a monthly payment basis not exceeding Rs100 a month. Who is kidding whom? People who purchase this know that the interest is built into this price already.

I was very sad to see these crates being thrown from the top of lorries yesterday on the TV news. I know they can be damaged and transportation suffers as the stackability of these crates is also an issue along with the volume that can be carried in a cost effective manner.

The Compromise should be to sell the crates at a subsidized rate of Rs500 each for immediate purchase. Anything more is prohibitive as most of the vegetables carried in each crate are of lesser value than the crates themselves. The cost of road transport is in essence the difference between profit and loss, and the market economy cannot justify the increased requirement of vehicles to transport lower weights unless someone subsidizes them. So the government which has no clue as to how the market economy works, must try and understand why these traders are protesting vehemently, and the consumers and farmers suffer for different reasons.

I am afraid in this the President intervenes and the consummate politician that he is will climb down on this demand and shift the blame completely onto Johnny who could lose his portfolio at the next cabinet reshuffle. I still believe some good will come out of this, it will get farmers, traders and consumers to think through the problems in wastage, and find solutions to all the problems, by not transferring the blame a trader led protest, and find solutions for the most cost effective means of reducing the massive wastage between what is grown and what is consumed. IT IS NOT ALL A PLASTIC CRATE ISSUE. So how about a good rail transport policy to shift volumes that the road system cannot hope to do without more congestion?

Plastic Crates and Eating Bread, the Cretins Rule OK

2011-12-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

First there was the direction for the umpteenth time from Johnston Fernando that from December 11^th, that is the day after this Saturday, Poya anyone caught transporting fruit and vegetable in bags will be prosecuted using the full force of the law.

Then there was the usual off the charts saying from the Prime Minister that we should ban the import of fruit, and that the price of wheat flour should be increased to a level where no one can afford it.

In summary these are the people who we have elected to lead this country and no one seems to raise an eyebrow, let alone stand outside one’s house with a placard saying we must get rid of these cretins as it gives a mad man a bad name!

Is it that we believe they are totally mad? and so ignore them or do we accept what they say and wait for them to act on their say so? Either way we seem to have lost our voice of reason even to point out the absurd and vilify the sayer so they just shut up.

I have used plastic crates from the day I transported my fruit and vegetables. I had to pay a fortune for these crates even then, and I had to protect them with my life from being stolen while my pick-up truck was unattended. Yes we would all like to have plastic crates and transport in plastic crates, but unless we can both ensure that there is a proper mechanism and accountability for the crates, in the back and forth transport mode, much in the same way we paid a Rs50 deposit when we used a Tomato wooden box in transporting tomato, there is no way we can adhere to this requirement. When a plastic crate costs Rs1000 we do not want to exchange a nice new crate for a decrepit one. Especially as there are many different types and sizes. At least the Tomato box was a standard size and quality!

The other significant point is the transport lorries are not built for crates. When you take the same weight of produce in crates you need a minimum of a 100% increase in the volume for transport, which the current trucks cannot accommodate. They may have to be high sided being able to stack the crates up to the heavens to transport. If the weight is compromised the haulier will have to charge that much more per kg transported. To him the wastage or loss in transport is not the issue, it is taking as much as possible weight wise to make his trip economical. The wastage of course is a national issue, but we must come up with a holistic solution. I have always recommended overnight rail transport as that system can carry the volumes better than road, and it will also be more environmentally acceptable too. However we must work towards it, though at present we are not geared to it. We must ask why this rule that has come into effect for nearly a year has not been acted on despite the numerous threats by the same minister. Well is this latest outburst a repeat of this? The idea is good Minister, see how you can implement it practically given the ground situation, and not make asinine statements each time you get hot under the collar!

As for the Prime Minister he still has a head of jet black hair in his eighties and is known to make statements when he in a pique. On a serious note, if we ban the import of fruit then we do not give our consumers a choice. We do not necessarily protect our own production as it is usually fruit that we do not grow that we import. Of course we have farmers who complain that due to the cheap apples, people do not eat papaya. Sometimes many of the imported fruit is much cheaper than local fruit such as mangus, and mango that are at astronomical rates. If we ban the import of fruit then these same fruits will become more astronomical.

Is the Prime Minister assuming that when the prices rise, when imports are banned, we will grow more fruit. That is only on a long term trajectory, where in the short term only wealthy will be able to imbibe in a mango! I am not sure if there is a tax on imported fruit that does not have a local substitute, but a nominal tax is acceptable, though I see that Pakistan is complaining that we have put exorbitant taxes on fruit and vegetables we import from them. Primarily Oranges and Potato.

I grow fruit. I have problems with the distribution system, once my home delivery business was aborted due to an accident. A banning of imports is not going to change anything, it may pay for my inefficient production methods, and I will have less incentive to be more efficient. We should not be in the business of making the farmer more inefficient, we must make him more productive. This will not do that.

As for the Wheat Flour being priced out, then bread will become unaffordable and we will have to eat rice and rice based products only. Of course there may be more research into making more foods using rice flour as a substitute, but it will astronomically increase the prices of short eats and fast food.

Wheat flour is already taxed heavily, yielding the government a lot of tax income. However in an era where people look for convenience often unable to get home in time from work in order to cook a rice meal, they prefer to buy a snack at take outs. The working public will be further inconvenienced as rice based cooking is more time consuming. The person staying at home can cook his three rice meals!

King coconut water – the wonder drink – cure for all ailments

2011-12-06T02:06:00.001-08:00

One of the great tragedies of nutrition in Sri Lanka is the lack of appreciation for both the King Coconut (Thambili – some friends call me thambili!) and Coconut (Kurumba) water as a liquid refreshment. If one google’s this you can find numerous references as to its incredible powers over ailments and wellness.(e.g reference - http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/coconut-water.html)

I have a few hundred king coconut trees on my property, but am finding it increasingly hard to sell it. When I returned to Sri Lanka in 2004, I was able to sell about 8000 nuts a month, both from my property and those of my neighbors. I worked hard going around plucking the nuts and taking them to market in Colombo myself with a man Friday. I personally carried bunches to the kades on the road, chatted with the kade mudalali and generally had a one to one with my customers. They usually buy a bunch at the rate of Rs15 each and sell them for between Rs25 and Rs30 a king coconut.

Since of late, I have lost all the business due to my accident, and lack of transport, however till then I was steadily losing my customer base, because all the one man sales outlets were removed courtesy of the UDA or Defense Secretary which both amount to the same person. He removed them as they had no permission to sell this on the public highway. He is technically correct, but did not afford them an opportunity to get the license or permission. Instead he gave permission for people who obtained a DIMO Batta from leases at People’s Bank at Rs30K a month(they are struggling to make the payment) to sell their wares like the Coca Colas in those places. They are either people more favorable to the UPFA and were some of the people helped by the Divi Neguma. Does he spare a thought for those whose livelihoods were lost, who amount to the same number of people?

More importantly, while other countries scramble to get hold of this refreshment due to its nutritional benefits, we in Sri Lanka are moving in reverse, removing the chances available for the smalltime entrepreneurs like myself and my customers to exist selling the most wholesome beverage on the face of the earth. This is what is called economic growth by the Sri Lankan Government. In this pursuit of America Centric policies of cleaning up the roads and permitting orderly establishments, by preventing University Students from partaking in a healthy drink between classes is tantamount to even obstructing the freedom to learn. I know when I have a cool ‘thambili’ that refreshes me, I feel more energized in the pursuit of whatever activity I may indulge in at the time. I am sure this holds true for students or any passers-by who trust a King Coconut over any bottled beverage.

Milk! Have you got milk? Oh what I would do for a fresh glass of unadulterated milk!

2011-12-04T22:12:00.000-08:00

Two of my cows in Godagama, Meegoda have just calved. The man who takes care of the cattle, decided to play a game of passive aggressive behavior against the supervisor and decided not to milk the cows. That is a serious problem as cows that are bred for milking must be milked, preferably twice daily, as otherwise they could be prone to disease as their calves can only drink a certain quantity.

In the case of local animals, most are not milked as they are grazing herds that lead a nomadic life and calves and mothers are taken out of pens in the morning and taken to far off grazing lands before they come home for the nights. I realized this when one of the boys who came to work for me from Ampara said that his family have a herd of over 100 animals and none were milked even for home consumption. The wealth is in the head of cattle, and whenever they need money they sell a bunch of animals for the best price they can get at the time. No doubt they end up in some abattoir to be eaten for flesh!

So we had to rush around to find a solution. Finding experienced people to manage a small herd is now impossible in Sri Lanka. They either have their own animals or once they get efficient and earn a decent income realize it is too much like hard work and change careers to easy and better paying jobs like security guards in Colombo doing night duty! So the next best was for me to use the services of a person who has his own animals, to come to my cowshed (too late in the morning) to milk the animals, and for him to take the milk along with his to the chilling center. Though his skill means he takes twice the volume of milk my lazy geezer could manage with his dexterity, I only get a fraction of the money per liter though with double the volume, it is still a better total income than the former state.

Two issues arise from this actual example. We are expected to become self sufficient in Milk production, by two principle means. One by large scale operations run with professionals, with a huge capital investment that requires a return, the other is from small timers with a few animals, who have to work very hard once they get the skills and knowledge of taking care of a herd, something that takes about 5 to 10 years of practical experience. The latter scheme has no future due to low productivity and few considering this as a livelihood. Simply do a survey of the government vets all over the country and get their first hand opinion of the “kiri goviyas” within their jurisdiction to get an opinion of the real deal. The overwhelming evidence is that despite the heavy emphasis by the State to develop this sector it is destined for failure. We are about to import many heifers from Australia or New Zealand. Who are we expecting to distribute them to?

Why is the arsenic issue dragging on? It will not go away on its own steam!!

2011-08-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Lakbima newspaper on Sunday carried another article about the Malaysian accredited laboratory that carried out tests on unnamed pesticides sent to it by the Ven Athureliya Rathena, which had confirmed the existence not only of Arsenic, but also of Mercury and Cyanide.

Whilst not disputing the accuracy of the results of the said laboratory, one must always qualify this by being able to make a relative study of the acceptable norms. After all we all consume arsenic, mercury and cyanide everyday, but in proportions that are generally too small to make any effect on our bodies and is present in many of the foods we eat irrespective of whether they are grown organically or with the use of pesticides. So in order for comparison we must know if the amounts represented in the article are too high or normal. I cannot comment on this as my knowledge does not extend to the levels of arsenic that is found in naturally occurring substances which we ingest nor do I know the acceptable levels before the body can treat it as either poisonous or liable to be toxic.

It is surprising that all the pesticide companies have kept "MUMM" about this fact so far fearing to tread on this murky subject hoping it will die a natural death. I am not happy with this stance as it smacks to ignorant me as being one done out of self interest as any word uttered in defense will exact revenge from the anti pesticide lobby and hence the course of action to say nothing is the best form of defense.

We must put this topic out of our system as it has caused so much anxiety amongst people and nothing has been done to allay their fears as the government seems inept at explaining to our public who lack an element of common sense due to the poor education that does not teach them to think. This goes back to the lack of the ability of the general public to sift through information in order to make a judgment for themselves without being prompted by interested parties with their own agenda. When will we ever get out of the brainwashed tag attached to us, and have instead the thinker tag attached instead?

It is just this sort of behavior that enables interested parties on both sides of the debate to make hay while the poor consumer, and farmer is left in the lurch and be accused of a numerous litany of wrongs, few of which he is able to understand!

It is time that the Government takes upon itself the responsibility of explaining what is and is not acceptable and what they or others should do about it with regard to this issue as we all want to improve the quality of the food we eat with reduced amounts of harmful substances that affect our health. We cannot make this judgment until we know enough about the issue in order to make the choices in favor of our health and those near and dear to us.

Until such time this is done we are groping in the dark not knowing whether what we use and what we eat is good or bad and what are naturally occurring that we can do something about and what are man induced that are harmful and not and come out with a compromise acceptable to all of us.

I never thought I would have anything in common with the Ven Athureliya Rathana Thera

2011-07-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

In today's Sunday Times, there was a very forceful statement by the above MP who represents the Gampaha District for the UPFA under the JHU, which was that "Agrochemical Terrorism was worse than LTTE terrorism".

If one looks at the history of some of the International Agro Chemical Behemoths, such as Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, Cargill they have engaged in skillful chemical based agriculture, which includes GM (genetically modified) strains of Soya and Wheat which have made leaps in the productivity and output of some crops, enough to save the world from starvation.

In Sri Lanka's case the local Companies representing these and other multinational companies sell billions of rupees of toxic weedicides, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides collectively referred to as "BIOCIDES"to our poor farmers, who barely eke out an existence.

I have as a farmer used my share of these due to various factors, a major reason being the complete ruination of the soil over years of overuse, which necessitates further use in addition to chemical fertilizers to get a half way decent crop.

This proves that in order to get the farmers out of this catch 22 mere banning the use is not the answer. It has to be a gradual reduction in use coupled more importantly with the improvement of the soil, to historic levels, by considerable intelligent use of knowledge. We have to identify all the soils, break them up into areas, and make concerted efforts at improving the soil with the correct additives. If the Rs50B currently being wasted on importing and subsidizing chemical fertilizer, is used first in improving the fields for the use of mechanical means, as labor is now almost extinct in agriculture, then the soil needs to be improved, further the seeds used should be more adaptable to local conditions, and not the imported seeds one sees for sale.

By a careful long term plan, we can improve the resistance of local varieties to the common pests and by mixed farming practices both enrich the soil, and grow complementary crops, conserving the waste of water that currently takes place. It requires a huge investment in education of the farming community, that is those willing to farm, not the girls who go to Agricultural Faculty who do not want to dirty their painted nails.

There was one interesting thing he mentioned in his Q&A session which was that if Khomba or Neem ( also known as Margosa) seeds are crushed and sprinkled, the pests would avoid the area. I have tried so hard to get the local boys to collect all the Khomba seeds that fall of the trees in August and September in my area with a handsome payout, but they have singularly failed to do so. Is it that they are too lazy or that they have enough money? I don't have the answer, but it goes to show that even if we have the will the way has to be shown to the people to appreciate the importance of that.

We have to educate everyone including the youth on the value of such things like the Neem seed. This process cannot be done in a short time. There are insurmountable obstacles as the money in Chemicals is huge, and the pressure groups enormous to prevent politicians taking action, but it has to be done in a way that is practical and equitable, and we can then wean the companies to produce natural means of control, and better techniques more suitable to our soil, climate and conditions. We need a blue print on how to achieve this over a period of time, coupled with a conscious emphasis on training people in sustainable agriculture.

It is the people in the end that have to be persuaded, and there I find the majority not interested in the alternatives, which also reflect the government level of inaction. Until our society becomes more energetic, energized and not dependent on others for their employment we can go forward. It is an electorally unpopular move and the politicians who want sycophants around them do not want to miss a beat and do something unpopular, and so the nation dies.

Like the enlightened priest said, 20.000 have died due to poisoning and a further 20,000 are dying a slow death and we do nothing about it. Lets prevent the next 20,000 contracting these illnesses all this at a huge cost to the nation.

"Sustainable non-toxic Agriculture"

2011-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

There was an extremely useful commentary today on page 8 of the Island Newspaper (July 22nd) by the biodiversity and "analog forestry" expert Dr Ranil Senanayake a grandson of Mr FR Senanayake with the above caption. It is very unfortunate that the very logical and practical suggestions made by him does not get sufficient prominence in especially the Sinhala media for the benefit of our rural farmers.

Unlike those who advocate a complete ban of biocides (pesticides, herbicides and fungicides) he recommends a gradual weaning off of our farmers of the definite overuse of the said biocides in order to improve the quality of our soils in order to return to a more productive and sustainable future in our Agriculture. In the same vein as I have been horrified by the increase in the subsidy on chemical fertilizer to a cost of Rs50Billion, we must try and reduce this dependence which has a very high carbon footprint in a country that is pretending to enhance its reputation as an environmentally sensitive and "GREEN" country.

The acts of the state for purely short term political gains is raping our future, by increasing the use and not reducing its use(fossil carbon). We must educate the people on this folly. It is not easy, but must be done to save our agricultural future before our land becomes completely infertile.

The article goes on to explain the food chain process, where right at the top we humans are consuming a lethal toxin to the extent that "WE SUFFER THE HIGHEST PESTICIDE RELATED DEATH TOLL ON THE PLANET" That is something for us to think about, as it is encouraged and not discouraged by the state!

So please lets start now before it is too late, understand the dependence, NOT REFER TO PESTICIDES AS BEHETH AND INSTEAD CALL IT WASA VISA, and give our farmers real help in presenting an alternative method at achieving the same or better net incomes for our farmers.

Thanks Ranil keep up the good work and try and get your points to the powers in subtle or direct ways, you owe it as a duty to create the vision of the country of your and our forefathers. Try and offer your services at no cost as a public service, as no one in SL agriculture can afford your NGO reflective remuneration.

CKDUE - An opinion down on the range

2011-07-21T04:17:00.000-07:00

Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology, (CKDUE) is a huge problem in the North Central Province but also to a lesser degree in the North Western Province and Uva Province as well. There are various studies being carried out by both state and non state sectors to find the cause of this as it is a debilitating disease that leads to kidney failure and death, and the a long list of people requiring dialysis and kidney transplants, which the state cannot currently cope with due to the lack of resources in the health sector to meet the needs of the suffering patients. It is a pathetic situation which innocent civilians are confronted with and to which they see no solution in sight.

Into this issue the University of Kelaniya team pounced on the Arsenic story, with prominence scaring the unsuspecting public. They were very clear that this is a result of the pesticides and weedicides being used by the farmers over a prolonged period of time. Arsenic in Pesticides is illegal and is banned, but they maintain that this along with traces of Mercury as well as other poisonous elements are present in these products. It is not up to us the casual observer to comment on but the government to issue a definitive statement on the facts. I understand that a resolution as to the real cause of the problem is still to be made, even though the Kelaniya team are absolutely certain that this is a case of Arsenic poisoning, as they have backed up their evidence by supporting evidence of patients in areas such as Padaviya, with Arsenic poisoning signs.

One must also look into the other aspects such as fluoride that naturally occurs in the area, and over ingestion of fluoride can also be harmful to the health as it is with the other elements such as Zinc and Cadmium that are are blamed in combination with Arsenic and Mercury. All this must sound gobbledygook to the local villager who does not even have access to science teaching in those schools to know what it is that is causing this. So whatever the newspaper reports as the likely cause is the one used by them in the conversations we have in this regard.

It is important that studies that have commenced over 5 years ago come to some sort of conclusion as without it we do not know what corrective action is to be taken immediately to prevent the problem getting out of control.

At present the football is being kicked around between, the ITI, Kelaniya experts, the government labs and the Customs, and the Department of Agriculture with occasional help from the debates in Parliament in this regard. It does not bode well for a proper unbiased inspection of the facts as all these factions seem to have agendas, and it is possible that no one wishes to confront the truth that may be unpalatable.

So let me add my two cents too. I have lived a while in this troublesome area. I take the water I drink from my farm in Godagama, where I cannot prove but believe the spring water is safe from all this as the area contains many bottling plants that produce SLS standard bottled water for sale all over the island. I also think that overuse of Pesticides and Weedicides, as well as Chemical Fertilizer, has fouled up the local groundwater supply and all the drinking water sources that when compared with naturally occurring chemicals such as Fluoride, and the use of Aluminium cooking utensils, that lie unwashed or are used as water containers allow a certain unhealthy proportion of Aluminium to leach into the drinking water supply.

A combination of a cocktail mix of all these seem to lead in some cases to these diseases. It is time that all diseases are investigated for causes relating to the water supply, as this appears to be the most likely source of contamination. It is also noteworthy that there are many other places that use as much or more fertilizer and pesticides per acre in the Island that does not have this kidney disease leading one to automatically assume that there are other factors as well that are the root causes.

I am no expert, and there are numerous experts and projects currently being undertaken to find the true cause of this disease, and I can only hope without further delay, that some rational solution can be found, and hitherto the Kelaniya University seem to get undue publicity leading to alarmist rumors that are very harmful to agriculture, consumption of our local produce and also to the medical profession. While they may be forceful and convinced in the correctness of their argument, they have not been able to do a good job to convince the majority of doubters of this fact.. We must therefore be careful in the evaluation process, to come up with the likely cause along with the probability of this disease occurring.

Lets not just on the case of the Multinationals just yet until we have an alternative practical solution to addressing this issue and not make it a knee jerk one on order to satisfy short term agendas.

Minneriya Tank –“the latest project as per the local Farmers and Fisherman”

2011-07-19T07:16:00.001-07:00

I just had a chat on the phone with my fellow neighboring farmers in the Hingurakgoda area and they tell me a new tale out of Alice in Wonderland. So I just repeat what I heard and the reader should determine its likelihood, but the farmers firmly believe this story, which when it passes from one mouth to the next adds another dimension.

For centuries the waters of the Minneriya has been used for agriculture and primarily, for paddy cultivation, especially after it was rehabilitated in the early 20^th century. Then latterly due to the size and ease there is a large fresh water fishing industry that provides the livelihood for a couple of hundred families. There is enough water generally to cultivate two seasons. Usually once the water has been given for agriculture the water level in the tank drops sufficiently in August and September when the need for water stops, and the tank then becomes a huge plain of green where the famous Minneriya Elephant Gathering takes place. This has the added benefit of making it a tourist destination, especially in the off season of August and September to fill the local hotels and provide employment to the trackers and jeep drivers and owners and related services.

Recently, I am told a tender had been given to a private party to clear the tank for the take-off and landing of sea planes. This same party I was told was also given the go ahead to begin a pleasure boat service on the Minneriya tank, which hitherto only had hollowed out wooden fishing craft. Added to that I was told trees are being cut in the Minneriya National Park to facilitate the safe landing of the aircraft, and that too is a prohibited activity in a National Park, for which permission is not usually granted.

For such aircraft landings the water level has to be a minimum, and in many seasons, once the water is used for irrigation, the level will drop below this minimum. This then implies that water will not be released for needed irrigation due to the need to maintain a minimum level and farmers will suffer substantial crop loss. I was also told that the sound of planes landing will affect the egg laying characteristics of the local lake fish and that will reduce the potential catch. Local people are up in arms but this has not reached the press yet, either because the facts I have stated may be incorrect or no one has bothered to investigate.

The young ladies who flood the Departments of Agriculture

2011-07-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

If you go into any agricultural faculty in Sri Lanka, both the teaching staff and students have a female majority. This is good if you see women in all sorts of farming in Sri Lanka, but I have yet to see that fact reflected in the actual workforce.

What does that mean? Are we educating these people at enormous expense for them to try and get government jobs as village agricultural coordinators of advisers? I have a woman attached to my place in Polonnaruwa, who I do not know if she has got an Agricultural Degree, but is unable to communicate with the farmers of the area on an equal or knowledgeable basis where we can accept what she has to say, based on both theoretical and technical knowledge.

Is it that we have to blame the men in this area and say they have an equal chance of getting into the University so don't complain that it is the women who do so. One needs to have a certain Z score for university entry, and by and large there is a much greater proportion of females who do so and with this system of informing them what fields of study they have got marks for, if Agriculture is on the menu, then why not take it as the women want a degree, without much thought as to what subject or what field they wish to pursue in the future.

The young boys fall by the wayside and do not get into university and look for some easy way out of life, by joining the forces or the police or whatever they can get after a vocational course. I also often wander if those who go to the agricultural faculty have no intention of farming as they believe that profession is beneath them, but that they believe advisers are a cut above that and so aspire for the limited openings in this field. The additional tragedy is that these agricultural graduates use their degree to gain a marriage and then use the system for personal goals, rather than enter into agriculture proper as a lifelong vocation, which should be the aim of the courses.

It is time that all the Universities do a survey of the alumni and come up with some answers as to how useful these faculties are of producing knowledge based farmers to increase the productive output of the country rather than swell the ranks of the unemployed or unemployable.

Arsenic Issue - Academics attached to Kelaniya University challenge their own Dean of that Faculty

2011-07-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

It is timely that the Academics attached to the Faculty of Science disassociated themselves from their Dean, Professor Nalin de Silva, effectively relegating him to the role of a charlatan.

It is disgraceful for one to reach up to the skies in making a scientific explanation and therefore I hope this mess is put to bed once and for all. I know so many people who are worried about arsenic levels as a result of this scare, and the newspapers as usual, in order to sell their publications and attract readership have resorted to fear mongering, instead of explaining to our relatively unthinking readership who soak up truth or fiction in the same order, that this issue needs to be properly evaluated.

We have yet to fully understand and explain the problems of kidney disease in the NCP, as that has something to do with the unique conditions of the NCP as much as it also has the fluoride issue in water to contend with which other parts of the country that use the same level of pesticides do not. So that and the cooking on cheap aluminum vessels to store water etc. may also be a contributory factor. It is imperative that this issue is immediately addressed as I also farm in the NCP and at the moment transport all my drinking water from the my farm in the Western Province.

There are many issues here, with regard to the overuse of Chemical Fertilizer, as well as the overuse of Pesticides and the deterioration of the soils arising therefrom and seepage into the groundwater as well as to other drinking water sources of these chemicals and how they impact human health. There is a lot of suffering in the NCP and people are clinging on to anything they can to explain away their plight, and the powers in play are playing with this concern, without seriously addressing the issue with the respect and diligence it requires.

Prof De Silva did a great disservice to the country in drawing attention to himself, and I believe the least that can be done is to have him removed from his position forthwith in the interests of Education and the future of his University, as both those are for more important than the man himself.

Then let us get back into firstly addressing the Kidney disease problem and find a realistic and scientific explanation. We should then separately address the over use of fertilizer and pesticides in some scientific manner and encourage and teach our farmers to minimize their use and assist them in overcoming the degradation of soils that have forced farmers to overuse these as compensation for past sins.

Let us call a truce and end the battle and move forward

2011-07-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

Today's (3rd July 2011) Lankadeepa, page 4 of the 'Thaksalava' section has two related but quite different issues relating agriculture and the current debate. The first article on the top half is showing the benefit of a paddy field cultivated completely on the traditional principles, without any use of pesticides and weedicides, with an old variety of rice called 'kalu heenati'.

The second is of farmers burning their now seedforming paddy fields due to the lack of water being sent by the bureaucrats to their fields due to these government servants paying homage to local politicians. I will not discuss this at length as it is an elementary intervention required to divert water without prejudice to the needy farmers to cultivate their 1500 acres of paddy, as there is plenty of water in the area to cultivate, and the basics of clearing and upgrading the anicuts being the issue.

The former is the battle with totally opposing camps, which don't appear to see the middle ground. I read daily about" rabid organists" for want of a better word, who play upon people's sensitivities to spread their word, much like the born again preachers. It is in this "Arsenic" context that this topic has come to the fore. The greedy multinational pesticide and chemical suppliers are blamed for the arsenic in the soil, and as the proponent in this article, Susatha M Paranagama, is associated with the Kelaniya University, Dr Nalin de Silva camp of fear mongers, sets the stage for a reversion back to the traditional age.

I do not dispute his logic as it is infinitely more healthy to grow food in the organic way. As a practitioner who has attempted these ideas, I feel his approach is eminently impractical. His words, and I quote "Ape govikamata manush shramaya one" which when translated means we need Manual Labor for our Agriculture. "Pray Paranagama, where do I find men and boys?" I am the only one available to work my paddy fields and I cannot do that today thanks to Mahinda Chinthana weda pilivela, which begat speeding ministerial convoys that kill and maim innocent people including farmers who are willing to give of their Manush Shramaya. Can he find one person in his university willing to pick up a mammoty?

This is the problem with experts, and dons. They are only of a theoretical mindset who think that just because he is an adviser to an experimental, one acre or less plot in the Kirimatiyagara Paddy Fields, that gives him the authority to expound this as a national policy to be adopted.

I have no love for multinationals who squeeze the living daylights out of us, but I want to be practical in coming up with a solution to the Nationwide food production Issue as well as provide guidelines in its implementation with minimal harm to the soil, environment and our citizens, but which will enable our country to be self sufficient in most of the basics of the food we eat.

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly that I can eat once cup of "Kalu Heenati Rice" instead of three cups of the less healthy currently available rices to fill my stomach, we have first to have a system of doing this side by side so that eventually this goal could be achieved for those who are willing to pay the higher cost of this production, which still denies the masses of the quality. If he tells me he can produce this at much less or equal cost he is dreaming in technicolor as there are no humans available to work the land and want to work the land unless they are given a four wheel tractor to drive, as the two wheel one is also too labor intensive and too exhausting for our youth of today.

So please let us discuss this issue like adults and not kids in class rooms and come up with a national policy. My suggestion is to have a province or at least a District dedicated to organic farming methods as part of a large experiment and see how we can improve the quality of life of those who live there along with producing output that can be marketed at prices that those who produce can live off of, and succeed in their own personal goals. If this is so successful the whole nation will adopt it, if it is not, we have not forced a whole nation to starve due to the actions of the few well intentioned fools!!

The constant attack on progress seen as a threat

2011-07-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

There are many cases I can refer to in my practical experience and the latest was the threat a harmless homeless person had to undergo when he was given a job.

My sister and I share adjoining properties in Hingurakgoda, and she recently found a person from the South who just wanted a job, with a place to stay, and was known to one of her in-laws as an honest person who does not drink or smoke. So she put him in charge of her property.

From the first day, there were people making frightening noises in the area and throwing stones on to the roof, and generally trying to pretend that the place was haunted so they could chase him out of fear. I knew the trick as I had personally suffered similar harassment, and told him to sit it out and they will eventually give up. Thankfully for my sister he did and the need for a roof over his head overcame the fear of the night, and it paid off. I am pleased for him further as after less than 6 months in the area, he even managed on his own to find a wife from a place not more than 3km from the property, so that now he is not alone and is more committed to getting the place into a state, I was never able to make due to not having a permanent occupant in the home.

The coconut thieves and those who stole almost everything from the land there now no longer have that chance and are now looking in envy how this man is slowly transforming the place into a veritable garden of produce and plenty. I was there yesterday and seeing the transformation made me so happy both for him and my sister who for the first time was able to come away with 400 coconuts in the back of her vehicle, which will at least cover the cost of the diesel for the trip. I can see her new found joy at owning agricultural land and getting produce from it. The lime tree was so lush with limes, and I told her that twice a year she can harvest about 60kg of lime from that tree and even at today's retail price in Colombo of Rs100 a kg she can make a lot of friends happy even if she does not sell it but distributes it. Previously it was all picked and plucked by those who believe it their birthright to steal and not plant, as a lime tree can be planted anywhere in that area, as it requires very little maintenance.

The current state of law and order and the example of grand theft and larceny shown by this government is used as the excuse for the small man to steal. It is important to be able to show that our leaders can be incorruptible and therefore an example to all, and I wish I live long enough to see the day that will return to our resplendent land.

Divineguma - a way to hoodwink a nation

2011-06-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

It is preposterous for a senior minister in government to say that the above program will uplift the lives of one million households. Just think about the logic. They are supposed to provide the basics, so that households will become self sufficient in many areas including food production, but also on livelihood development. This if one takes a five person household should positively affect 25% of the population of this country. Are they dreaming in technicolor?

The hundred rupees of seeds given to my neighbor in Hingurakgoda as part of the program did not even germinate, such is the quality of the seeds they provide. You can take a horse to water but cannot force it to drink. Understand that it is just the empowering process that the govt. should get involved in, not tell what people should do. If people are waiting for the govt. to advise them what to do then those people are not in a calibre that can even take advice.

The 500 families who were forced to lease a Dimo Batta that had been lying in Galle Face overnight so that the minister could get into the photo op are now rotting corroded because the film of salt was not washed off. They are in deep trouble trying to meet the monthly Rs22,500 lease payment.

Most people know what they want, it is not up to the govt. to tell them. It is the infrastructure in order to get what they want that the govt. should assist with. Much of the infrastructure is soft loans or microfinance(the Batta lease is at full rate with People's Bank being the main beneficiary) Then the climate to operate and whatever is provided should be of good quality and not an excuse to spend money or give their henchmen contracts in selling faulty goods.

The sad fact is that I think the Minister in charge of this project really believes it can work. That is the worrying thing. He does not realize anything about the people it is directed at. You cannot make entrepreneurs out of those who have no inclination in that direction. In my opinion it is giving false hopes to people on the margin, and continuing to keep them leashed to that hope without releasing them from this hope, by getting them to take control of their own lives and not depend on the state to help them along the way.

A person who wants to plant a coconut tree in his yard will do so Divineguma or not. Freely supplying coconut saplings willy nilly is not the answer. Considerable thought goes into this, and when things are divided amongst people everyone feels entitled to it whether they make use of it or not. So only half the seedlings will be planted properly and lets bet on it that the other half will not see the light of 5 years for the first nut.

In Sri Lanka we will take anything given free or thought to be free, even a headache. It is the unintended consequences of the recipient that I am trying to explain to farmers or rural people to avoid by listening to those who are spreading this lie.

To avoid disappointment do what you originally wanted, nothing in the Divineguma program is going to help you as the officials who are supposed to assist even don't know how. The whole program is inflate an already inflated ego of a person or persons in senior govt. positions.

Take whatever a govt. person says with a pinch of salt as it is not being said to assist you, just to massage the ego of the person making the asinine statement.

The Great Tomato Soup Heist

2011-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

The small people like us who go shopping for vegetables ( I am still in crutches) will know how low the price of Tomato has fallen to. While it is not that cheap at Food City, it is down to Rs20 if I buy a kilo or more at the Pola.

So now I can have tomato soup and tomato with everything without worrying about the price as most other vegetables cost more. Look at the plight of the Tomato grower. It was before my accident that tomato at retail climbed to over Rs120 a kilo, but it takes about that time for people who think growing tomato may change their lives so many people increased the land extent that they used for growing tomato.

So if one drives on the Walapana, Rikilligaskade, Hanguranketha stretch also referred to as the Tomato belt, one will see the wooden tomato boxes piled high waiting for pick up. It is quite possible that farmers who saw the price of tomato rise so high, put more land under tomato and now are facing a glut as they did a super job growing, and the weather was kind to them as well as the tomato wilt was adequately contained. There is tomato coming out of their ears!!!

What do they do when the price offered for a kilo is Rs 5 and the box deposit is Rs 60 when the box can hold at most 20kg of tomato? That is a further Rs3 just for the box. Think about it? when tomato was retailing at Rs120, the farmer was able to sell it at Rs60 per kg, so the box fetched say Rs1,800. Now they are lucky to receive Rs100. Just look at the income discrepancy. Granted at the time tomato was Rs120 their yields were about 20% of current yields. Still if their yields are 5 times now, they are receiving Rs500 for the five boxes and then they received Rs1,800 for the one box, a quarter of the income.

One can now appreciate how devastating it is to the grower who is now reluctant to pluck. No amount of increased fertilizer subsidy for minor crops will improve his bottom line.

The wholesaler of course still makes a profit as his margin is on the difference between what he buys, his transport and storage costs, and selling price. I pity the tomato growers bringing them to the Dambulla market throwing their tomatoes into the garbage for elephants to scavenge on after paying for the transport cost.

Now it should be a field day for the Ketchup makers. MD, KVC, KIST and the like. They can make a fortune with their costs so low. The problem is that they are also brainless. They were caught with their pants down, and were not able to shift production immediately to Tomato Sauce to the extent that they should. They did not have enough labels bottles and the like. Added to that their prices never drop even if the raw material drops so there is less incentive to maximize profits, and a scandal arises there where the purchasing managers buy the tomato at Rs 10 from the bulk deliverer(quality of tomato for pulping is less important as it is cooked before bottling) but book it into the company records at Rs25 to 40 and pockets the difference.

The company records don't look bad as they are buying at much lower prices, so they will show profits. the purchasing person and his sidekicks pocket a sizeable amount on this short term payday for them and in the end the consumer suffers. This is how the agri-processing business is run.

When you look at all the machinations that go on in our economy, behind the scenes is it any wonder that the average Joe in the country is thoroughly confused.

I just hope the owner of MD (Hunters) reads this, goes to their cannery in Attanagalla and checks up on the costs and production of Tomato Sauce to see if he can make another Rs10M profit more than he is currently making. I don't think so as there is little competition in this field with few players in the market, resulting in an oligopoly at whose brunt end is the Consumer

Economically feasible extent of land

2011-04-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

I was in conversation with some elders recently about the whole land reform process in the early seventies, where each couple were restricted to 50 acres of land, and the excess taken over by the state. In fact the veritable World Bank had advised that due to the excessively unproductive performance of the estates of a few thousand wealthy people, with in their view a return of less than 1%, that land be restricted to 25 acres per individual. Even if the UNP of Dudley Senanayake was elected he would also have imposed land reform at 25 acres as recommended by the World Bank. It was NM Perera of the Sirimavo Bandaranayaka government that came into power in 1970, who felt 25acres was too uneconomical, that hence it was increased to 50acres.

There appear in hindsight, many mistakes that lead to not an increase in productivity, but a decrease as a result of these reforms. There were two fundamental errors made. One was that the unproductivity of estates was an accounting method for the wealthy to hide their income by way of showing losses on the land by new cultivations, and other improvements, as well as fertilizing as profits from employment and other areas could then be offset against losses in agriculture. It must remembered today that agricultural income is tax free, and profits from other sources cannot be offset against agricultural losses, a completely diametrically opposed law.

Secondly it had originally been determined that the land and houses taken over would be compensated at market value, so these educated landowning classes would use this money to invest in productive enterprises, thereby stimulating the economy, and in the long run they also would be financially better off, without the weight of unproductive property around their necks. This did not happen as the government lacked the funds to compensate them and some are still waiting for compensation over 35 years later.

It is also clear that those to whom land was distributed were to henchmen and for political patronage, and the recipients had little knowledge in improving the small lots of an acre or more to increase production, and instead treated it as ranchettes to build their homes and home gardens, a total waste of previously productive agricultural land. One must always remember that this lead to huge agricultural lands that could have been turned into more productive units, by studious use of technology and investment, been turned into wastelands as the recipient received it free, with no cost to them and therefore no value attached to the property.

We have still not learned the lessons of the past and continue to make the same mistakes today.

the harvesting season a new set of challenges

2011-03-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

After a tumultuous period where we had unprecedented rains, and many paddy fields were rendered useless, and further the rain that came once again, put paid to a good harvest. The latter was as a result of the flowering period being disrupted by rain that prevented the paddy seed from forming. Farmers therefore were left in the lurch.

I am hoping the combine harvester will come in a few minutes to harvest my paddy before the threatening thunder clouds turn this little exercise also into a nightmare. In any case I have to dry the paddy, because paddy that is harvested by the combine requires drying in hot sun on a cement floor for at least 4 hours to get to a level of moisture reduction, that permits storage without becoming mildewed and worthless.

The problem in my area has been that I have waited over 7 days for the combine to come, as all the combines in use in the area that technically could easily handle the volume of work have had a virus of breakdowns, all of them at the same time delaying the work across the village.

The story is that these Indian made combines only last two seasons before they start the breakdown season!!, and the combines came into the being in this format about two seasons ago and the story seems to fit! I mention these issues as it is very important that the reader who wishes to engage in this activity is fully aware of the pitfalls, based on practical experience of others, so that they can take the necessary steps to reduce the risks involved in the type of farming they wish to engage in.

In many previous blogs I have extolled the virtues of these combines which cut the costs substantially of the harvesting exercise, but this is the first time the delay of the combines due to the breakdowns is threatening my harvest. One must also remember that the paddy has to be harvested within a certain time as otherwise if it is too mature, then the milling process will break the paddy seed in such a way that the resulting rice will not be sell able as it will be broken. This happened to me last year and I do not want a repeat of that.

This is a further reason to go for larger farming units where such issues can tackled differently as either one is of a sufficiently large size as to own one's own machine, or has the clout to demand a better level of service due to the large size from the supplier of the machine.

I personally spoke to the owner when I met him on Thursday asking him to provide his harvester, but it has yet to come. I am told the real problem was that his schedule was disrupted due to the breakdowns. How do we minimize the breakdowns in the future. Do we have a specialized repairer of this type of machine in our area, who can come to the sight on a motor bike at short notice to fix a problem!! Obviously there is a business opportunity in it for someone here!

The case against agriculture, in an era of better opportunities- surely not!

2010-12-30T00:26:00.000-08:00

It was an extremely difficult year in my agricultural endeavors, and if not for supplementing my income from additional work in Colombo, I could not have made it. It was another year of disappointing harvests, with a fresh round of crises. Upon analysis of this year’s problems, the key was one of lack of discipline and not following specific instructions. This coupled with a severe labor shortage when the need arose, meant a fall in output. It is an eye opener that I was unable to get the required results from the one area I could control. This inability to get to grips with the labor/human resource issue is one that convinces me of the desperate need to elevate agriculture to a different plain with educated, motivated and well remunerated managers who are dedicated to this field. In order to make such a task viable, it is essential to run a much larger establishment with maximum use of mechanization, and use of new capital intensive techniques.

The frustrating part for me is to see how relatively inefficient my neighboring CIC Hingurakgoda Farm of over 1300 acres is, as I cannot use it as a working example to make my point, as the profit per acre from agricultural activities on that property is arguably below mine. In my opinion, one should get a net profit of Rs50K per acre in agriculture in SL after paying for all the costs, (excluding land). So this figure can be compared with the rental for the use of the land. We must use this as a starting point when doing the business plan of agricultural activities, as otherwise the opportunity costs of going into other fields is preferable to working the land.

I can market everything I produce if the quality is consistent and superior, and have failed to get the output directly from my land, and from the outgrowers to supply my customer demand. We must therefore shift away from the perennial problem of the farmer in marketing his produce, but concentrate instead on growing quality as the increasing demand for quality will capture every item of production. The problems that are highlighted of farmers disposing of their produce for lack of a market, can be solved with a little bit of common sense, once storage, transport and logistics are sorted. The greater problem of the shortage of quality is what needs to be urgently addressed before prices go through the roof. Free marketers will say, let the market take its course, when price increases, more of the product will be grown, which will result in a drop, sometimes too much to make it a total loss.

The bottom line on all of this is efficient production at low cost will enable the farmer to wither all price fluctuations which are only temporary. A larger enterprise can be intelligently managed and current risks mitigated by planning. One should not resort to knee jerk moves such as imports to distort the market.

Getting to grips with the Food Production Dilemma – Sri Lankan Problem

2010-12-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

We in Sri Lanka have not yet been able to distinguish fact from fiction in the food production dilemma. There was a time, when it was thought that we should not bother with growing any food, as other people can do it better and cheaper, so lets do what it is that we can do better, and effectively let all our agricultural lands go to forest, where we can encourage tourism with the growth in the National Parks!

I am not one to subscribe to that viewpoint, though I do agree that our agricultural practices are inefficient and outmoded. I have belabored this point right through the blog as any reader would notice. So all I am advocating is a complete change in the way we operate, being focused in all we do, and remove as many of the risk factors as possible, because agriculture has the most unknowns in any venture.

The government MUST work with one purpose, without encouraging grape growing for a wine industry, or importing ostriches to increase meat consumption. Such fantasies are by those unaware of the ground situation aka ‘politicians’. We have a lot to learn from the agricultural practices of the plantation industry, as well as those of the outsource success stories of companies like Ceylon Tobacco Company for their management of labor and outgrowers. We must also learn from the past mistakes of large scale agricultural failures that led to the small holder emphasis. This issue demands so many resources and thought put to it that no one appears to have the time or patience to attempt this, least of all politicians.

In my opinion, lets take product by product and have a definite national plan to encourage or discourage as well as the preferred size of operation. It was noticeable that once again, people were encouraged to apply for blocks of land in the Mahaweli zone in 50acre lots for agricultural projects, as if it was some kind of panacea for these ills. We know what happened to the original leases granted thereon, and once all the trees were cut, the top soil eroded, you cannot give this land away free if you wanted to. It is important to have a goal, as to what will be suitable for that land. Then assistance subsidy and sound business plan must accompany this as well as follow up thereon. So many agricultural projects in SL have floundered even with the best of intentions, that only a concerted effort can arrest this likelihood.

Let us begin with paddy production and have a national plan for that. Let us all understand that this plan should encompass all varieties of Paddy and different objectives for high yielding and organic varieties as both have a market, but at different levels. Then understand the workings of the farmer, best practice, work ethic and develop a practical plan, first by selecting an area which can be replicated nationwide if successful. In order to be selected, various criteria must be in place, and then the subsidy and education of the farmers and best planting practices can be implemented. People will say we already have Bathalagoda Rice Research Institute for training and imparting knowledge. If so look why it has failed and look at methods of turning it around. They have recently set up a Rice Research station to advise farmers, but I would like to know who have obtained training, and how much land has been cultivated by them, and see how their yields have improved due to the training, as that is the obvious measure of its success.

Without learning the lessons of the past we can never improve for the future and as a working paddy farmer I can honestly tell you I learn something new every day, and blame the lack of common sense of the farmer for a lot of the ills we are faced.
I have digressed somewhat from the main point of the article, namely to find away out of the mess. By way of example I have highlighted the problem in one instance, but am convinced that there is NO attempt YET at arriving at a comprehensive agricultural policy to match all the suppliers and consumers, and improve productivity as all this will contribute to the growth of the GNP at a far higher pace than simply relying on the service sector to take up the slack.

I firmly believe that this is the key to economic growth that has completely eluded the planners and politicians, one that will directly flow into the hinterlands, if only we can harness sufficient interest. With the hotel sector also growing and willing to pay a premium for quality produce, even they are struggling to get the variety of produce at the exorbitant price they are being asked to pay. We cannot play catch up with supply and demand and wait for that to come to equilibrium. Proactive steps must be taken immediately. I recently read an article where a prominent Buddhist priest was exhorting people to realize the value of growing some of their own food at home in pots or in a small plot, just to mitigate their food cost, and gain an appreciation for quality food and value of agriculture, something that is desperately needed, but which is not the solution to the problem per se.

You only have to go to the Pola at any village to realize how little is grown locally as in local to the village, and how costly the food items are with much having been transported from afar, from dried fish to coconuts. If today’s Rs60/- coconuts are any indicator of the future, we have no idea what we are in for, are we waiting for the coconuts to reach the magic Rs100/-? This to me is the most important task, surpassing the cost of living committee, which are all playing to the gallery. Only an immediate focus on food security and the plan to insure against it will suffice.

Here we go again with re-imposition of Price Controls on the sale of Rice

2010-12-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

Today’s papers announced the establishment of a high powered Cabinet Sub-Committee on Cost of Living, chaired by the President, with 15 Cabinet Ministers and including the Prime Minister. Concurrent to this following on from the import of Chicken and Eggs recently announced, they have imposed price controls on Rice, the single most essential ingredient in the diet of the average person.

One does not stick a bandage each time the wound bleeds, one has to find out why it is still bleeding and try to prevent the causes, like controlling the diabetes!
I have intimate knowledge on Paddy and Rice as I am a farmer who grows more varieties of Paddy than anyone else I know and converts that into multiple varieties of Rice and sell it direct to consumers, so I have both a stake in this subject and an opinion on what needs to be done, without this unforeseen edicts from above.
I know from my area, a lot of paddy was purchased by the state at the guaranteed prices from the last harvest, as the market price was lower. However some of the paddy was substandard, due to moisture levels being higher and were purchased not having regard to basic norms for storage. Now 70,000 Tons of paddy will be released from these stores, to be converted to 45,000 Tons of rice. This will then be issued to the market. I dread to think how much paddy will have to be thrown away due to substandard that may not even be good enough for animal feed, as that is what happens when the paddy spoils it ends up in Chicken Feed.

By imposing price controls on the most popular varieties of rice, the best quality of these will go underground, or the millers will not produce them. In my case, there is no incentive for me to spend the extra money, get the paddy par boiled to a high standard, by a neighbor, so I can sell quality Nadu, that tastes good, and sell at a loss for the Govt regulated Rs60/- a kg. Especially these days with wet weather, sun drying this is out of the question, and the risks associated with getting the required quality are not worth taking when losses result in so doing.

It is typical of leaders who don’t understand supply and demand, who try to control prices and thereby reduce the choice to the consumer, and put the producer in jeopardy, when in fact their whole focus should be to improve productivity, which helps both producer and consumer. A government whose slogans are “rata hadamu, api wawamu” should take heed from a farmer, and not from price controls, that further impoverish the retailer and producer with the real culprit the big miller again set to cash in from the failure to issue paddy from the stores earlier. Why wait till now when prices began rising a month ago, due to non release of paddy stocks by Govt.

Increasing the Nation’s Milk Production

2010-11-25T05:11:00.000-08:00

I have read so many recent articles about the effort to increase Milk production in SL and if one were to believe what is published one would be very optimistic about its future. The reality however yet again is somewhat different. Why is it that we in SL have so many schemes and so much talk, with very little action. There was an article about the NLDB doubling their milk production within 3 months (the three months are long gone since the article was published) with the import of higher yielding milk cows and assistance from Israel. Then there was the article about a prominent politician who had set up a company to increase milk production, while engaging in giving skills to the youth to obtain self employment by giving them loans to get the cows and get them to produce the milk. This was headed by a Managing Director who had previously worked in the largest dairy farm in Saudi. None of these have come to fruition or even commenced. There is no shame in lying!!!

It is no surprise then that private sector ventures, ‘petro lanka’ in Mirigama, by a Sri Lankan who returned from overseas and set up his own dairy, and then the multinational Nestle which has expanded in the North and East by setting up new chilling centers are the ones making real positive contributions in this regard. Additionally LMF a company quoted in the CSE (Colombo Stock Exchange) raised Rs700M by way of a rights issue to expand their already huge dairy business. It goes to show that all these government initiatives just seem to be hot air to get some airtime or press time, with no real teeth to it.

The poor milk farmer, and I count myself as one them is left to struggle through the mire literally with little real help to improve productivity and revenue in this genuinely honorable goal of becoming less dependent on imported milk products.
Rich countries use the implantation of female embryos to produce good quality female calves, and this is justifiable bearing in mind their high yielding cows. In our small way we must get the sexing machines that are now available and used in other countries to sex the sperm, so that when AI is used (artificial insemination) we have a greater chance of a female calf, so as to increase the population of milk producing animals as compared with the male calves that end up being killed.

Without just making statements, the Govt should guarantee a minimum price for milk, like Rs50/kg so as to encourage new and existing farmers to expand and improve, rather than close down and give up as it is not cost effective. Most of all, the quality of the animals to suit the climate, and targeted education of the farmer in proper methods of fodder, feeding, milking and care are desperately needed.

Rice and Milk, perception, production, consumption, storage and waste

2010-11-21T09:02:00.000-08:00

I rarely email or use my Facebook, so the longest absence from any web entries was just an unplanned occurrence. I hope I will have the time to keep up. Life goes on from one eventful day to the next, where there is never a dull moment. The unexpected always happens that is the certainty of life, especially down on the farm and fields.

It rained almost all day here on the farm in Godagama, while I desperately need the rain in Hingurakgoda, where I am preparing the paddy fields for sowing, and there has only been a few droplets there. It was a misery plucking the king coconuts in the rain as one has to climb the trees, there being no other way to cut the bunches, and bring them safely down. Fortunately the coconuts were plucked yesterday, though as it is out of season the number on the trees are less than half the usual, so with even prices around 75% higher than average, the total revenue is still lower.

A cow gave birth to a male calf in the early hours of the morning; Sagara only said yesterday, that one would be born today, on Poya. The mother is not a great milker, and so a few more bottles is not something to crow about when I get Rs29 per kg which is less than the cost (that is the way the milk is measured and amounts to about a liter) However hard we try to wish otherwise, the fact is 98% of male calves born in SL end up eventually as food. This brings me to another related point, where I was associated in a project to implant female embryos in cattle to ensure that female calves dominate.

Despite my having a shop on the farm, it is like pulling teeth to convince the locals to buy fresh milk, when they prefer the NZ dried powdered milks, which are better marketed. Sometimes it is an effort to take the milk to the collecting center in the mornings, so I prefer to give the unsold milk to the dogs, as a protein supplement.

The end result of the persistent rain is that weeds take over the area faster than we know how to control it, and the practical problems of weed control surface when one does not wish to use any weed killers.

Wherever I go I see the paddy lands being prepared or sown, this is the season which expects the bumper harvest if all conditions are right, and many a livelihood depends on it, though more and more have determined that they cannot survive merely by being rice farmers, and have to either supplement their incomes or actually pursue other vocations, merely allowing a friend or relative to cultivate their tiny plots to provide a portion of their rice consumption. The price of rice that had fallen to unheard of levels lately have begun to climb, but I suspect that this is just a ploy by the millers to control the market after they have purchased all the paddy. The government stores in the meantime are full of paddy, which they have yet to release to the millers, but which are also in the meantime rotting due to the bad practices of purchase and storing paddy with higher than recommended moisture content. This results in the paddy getting spoilt and not fit for human consumption. Despite the bumper harvest this waste will create a shortage, bump up the price and the millers who hold the keys to the price, yet again call the shots. The state in the meantime loses, when they could theoretically have profited.

The Dilemma in agriculture that we have yet to resolve and no one addresses

2010-06-01T04:43:00.000-07:00

The economical agricultural unit is changing rapidly due to the multi phased changes in our society. They range from a severe shortage of labor prepared to work in agriculture, with few young people even contemplating farming, to changes in demographics, and expectations, as a result of education, and increased standards of living. As usual the policy makers will stumble on the new reality, while the politicians are still living in a dream world thinking the majority of our people are farmers, when only the majority are rural dwellers, who are nothing but kitchen gardeners as they have a small plot of land to play with and most of them who grow paddy get an added bonus called a fertilizer subsidy, most of which goes down the river. These rural dwellers earn less than 10% of their household income from agriculture, the rest being from their main job, as a teacher, bureaucrat, bus driver or such like.

Once our policy planners realize the inevitable, it is will be too late to make structural changes that are sorely needed to improve the productivity of the land which is the intention, but with no one actually being able to effect this sea change.

I farm about 6 acres of rice fields, and the government spends about Rs90,000 more than what I pay for my fertilizer, per season, on the fertilizer, which is all imported from the Middle East or CIS countries, with hard currency. That is Rs180,000 a year. That is staggering as, that is all I need just once, to use earth moving equipment to drastically improve the size of the fields and level them off, so that I can use four wheel tractors, and large combined harvesters, which would cut the cost of my production by over 40%. Additionally the larger fields will yield at least another half to an acre of cultivable land that currently is part of the bunds that separate the smaller fields. This once off structural improvement to the land will yield a permanent benefit.

What I envisage happening in the future is if this improvement takes place, then the land can be cultivated by professional tenant farmers, who will pay a rental based on the land area, to the owner, which will satisfy both parties, and solve the labor shortage issues by use of mechanical and hitec equipment, which is only economical in a larger scale operation. The government should therefore begin an experiment in offering credits for the use of earth moving equipment to improve the scale of fields, in lieu of the subsidy, as it will be a no lose proposition. The utterly useless use of two wheeled tractors can then be eliminated and larger scale farming, starting with paddy cultivation, and then moving into other areas can then commence earnestly and efficiently towards meeting all food production targets.

What I am afraid of again this time round is that as Sri Lanka will be self sufficient in Rice production this year, due to additional lands in the North and East coming under the plough, that the urgency of making this structural change will disappear once again into the ether. Don't forget, self sufficiency and productivity are mutually exclusive concepts and should not be mixed or confused. The resulting drops in the price of paddy will only make the smaller farmer more alienated and driven to suicide, instead of moving in the direction I propose, where he will be given an option arising from a productivity improvement to either farm or rent out his land, and pursue a more productive vocation.

Soursop known locally as "Katu Atha"

2010-05-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

A MATURE FRUIT WEIGHING ABOUT A KILO JUST PLUCKED NEEDS ABOUT 3 DAYS TO RIPEN
Sour sop with a Latin name of Annona muricata has suddenly hit the news lately due to the claims that it is 1000 times stronger than Chemotherapy for cancer patients and cancer fighting agents.

I am being inundated with requests for this fruit, which I sell for Rs100 each, but which I find difficult to grow. I have about 8 trees and only two actually produce any fruit. I am told that sometimes these trees don't have any fruit for a while. I also have two trees in Polonnaruwa which have yet to fruit.

I prefer to eat it as a drink which is made by liquidizing the fruit pieces after removing all the seeds. One of the common mistakes made is that people pluck the fruit before it is mature, and therefore it does not ripen well. The reason for this is that the period it stays mature is so short, perhaps three or four days on a tree before it becomes black in places and begins to spoil. It is impossible to sell a fruit that looks spoilt, though the spoilt parts can be cut out as the rest actually taste better, because it has fully ripened on the tree. This rule of thumb holds true for most fruit and in Sri Lanka due to the lack of refrigerated transport, the tendency with all fruit is to pluck prematurely.

It is important that tissue culture is done on the good bearing Sour sop trees, and new plants are available in order to get consistent planting material to ensure a good yield. As usual the pundits come up with you must grow a whole area with these trees, but I have yet to be able to source good and reliable planting material, something which we are currently woefully lacking in for all types of fruit trees.

This is an added reminder that in order for us to maximize our potential for increasing our supply of fruit, the planting material is of the utmost importance as one does not have the luxury to experiment as these trees and in the case of the above take about 4 years to properly fruit.

Tender vegetables - "lapati elavalu"

2010-05-23T01:22:00.000-07:00

As I am in an enterprise, where I grow and deliver my produce to customers who then consume them, I am in the unenviable position of having to explain if I can even do that, about a various range of questions to do with my produce, as my customers are critical and picky and want to know the whys and wherefroms etc.

Some of them range from "last week they were less ripe, and this week they are more ripe", or "the earlier oranges when squeezed were yellower when compared with the riper ones you supplied last week". "The rice was a little darker this week when compared with last" and so on and so forth.

A new one this week from a Lady whose husband is the chairman a large garment conglomerate said she prefers the Okra very tender and similar with Aubergine and so on. It got me thinking that we really ought to have a different product as these are usually plucked a lot earlier than normal and so is tasty especially in its raw form for salads or mildly cooked form and for example in the case of tender aubergine, if lighty grilled, is delicious on its own as a bite.

I guess the way to start it is encourage the Food City stores in upper income neighborhoods to sell tender vegetables in a seperate section at a different price point. One main reason that these are not plucked is that its weight and therefore farmer income is less. So farmers wait for them to grow as big as possible. The way we cook our food by boiling to high heavan takes away all taste and so even too mature vegetables can be cooked and eaten.

Anyway it was telling that this lady also confirmed my worst fears about Cargills Food City that all the talk about slected especially direct from grower is a load of crap as she said that the quality of their fruit and vegetable really sucks. In her own words and not mine, they just dont do any quality contol and buy any rubbish that those supposed outgrower farmers supply them. They need constant monitoring and quality control, as only a big organization like Food City can technically do given their vast resources and unlike the normal food chain are able to deliver in plastic containers in cooler trucks to preserve and maintain the freshness.

For those interested in a new venture, tender pathola, watakolu, beans, makaral and even tiny carrots can form this product list. The question then becomes how much of a premium can you charge, as you have to double the price to differentiate and cover the costs of this re branding and different display. It is not easy to evaluate the economic viabilty without trying. I have to train my johnnies to pluck at the tender stage and that in itself is asking too much!

SO what comes first changing the eating habits of the locals to eat more fresh and less over-boiled or to sell the tender ones and give them new recipes in cooking. Both are insurmountable tasks.

Over to you commentators for your thoughts. How about growing your own in your kitchen pots or patches so you can ensure a continuous supply of organic and fresh the only sure way to be certain!!!!!

The case for scale in Paddy Cultivation in Sri Lanka

2010-05-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

I have been asked by a friend overseas to give him an idea of the costs of rice production in Sri Lanka, to determine if he wants to invest in an agricultural venture to grow paddy. This is like asking the proverbial “how long is a piece of string?” type question.

I tried to explain, much depends on the land extents envisaged to be cultivated, as well as the land availability that is suitable for cultivation. Usually this means that existing paddy lands have a greater suitability, as basic infrastructure is in place, but the more productive the soil, the purchase price reflects this.

In order to be practical about this it is almost impossible to come across a 50 acre minimum land size that is suitable and available for paddy cultivation, as I believe this extent is required as a minimum if one is considering giving up whatever it is including common sense to go into paddy farming.

In order to satisfy his request, I will base my assumption on a 50 acre size and make the following assumptions. The main one being that the land is available and purchased, as it would only be a wild guess as to how much such an extent of land would cost. It would be a minimum of Rs20M.(in the US rice extents are cheaper) The other assumption is the availability, of water from a canal fed by an irrigation source. Relying on rain fed paddy is too risky not something to be tried and the use of pumped water for such an extent would also change the dynamics of the project.

If average land yields 100 bushels per acre for each season, the harvest for a year will be 10K bushels or 200,000KG of paddy at an average selling price of Rs30/kg would give a gross income of Rs6M a year. If the direct costs cannot be less than Rs3M then this project is not worth it as otherwise the Rs20M can yield a better return in most other safer investments with a lower risk.

It is easier to work backwards from this direct cost, which for a season for an acre runs at Rs30,000 as a maximum. So how does this stack up with outsourcing the work. It will go as follows. A) tilling the land 3000 B) preparing the fields 3000 C)Sowing 1000 D) Fertilizer 5000 E) Pesticides 5000 F) Husbanding the land during the growing process 3000 G) Combined Harvester to cut and thresh 8000 H) Drying and cleaning as well as bagging for sale 2000. Realistically it is difficult to do it for any less, with the only flexible one being the use of the combined harvester, which due to the extent of the land can be bargained down to even Rs 5000 per acre. The important point to note is that the yield is the most unpredictable, and the most likely contributory factor for either profit or loss.

Maha Harvesting Paddy using the tractor driven thresher known as Tsunami

2010-04-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

As previously documented I showed how I used a small Chinese built combine harvester to cut, thresh and bag the paddy from my property in Minneriya.

In this blog entry I show the other principal alternative used. My sister’s property adjoining mine has fields that are water retaining, under current conditions the harvester will get stuck in the mud.
We therefore have no option but to hand cut the paddy and then transport it to a point from where the thresher is used to separate the straw from the paddy using a machine colloquially known as the tsunami.

A viper (polonga) was seen while collecting the cut the paddy, so had to be killed.

We had a serious problem in finding labor to cut paddy, as there are just no people willing to work in Polonnaruwa. There are people who come from outside called mattayas( I don’t know why they are called that) who take a contract for the property to cut and bring the paddy to a specific point. The usual charge is Rs8000 an acre but in this case due to some fields where one’s legs get stuck in the mud slowing the process, they charge a higher amount.

In my desperation, I had to pay Rs700 a day and find people to cut this paddy, and due to the labor problem my cutting got seriously delayed. If one cannot cut the paddy by a certain date, the stalks can dry out too much. It is called “pahi karawela” which is what happened to me. So when I mill my paddy, the grain breaks up pretty badly, making it difficult for me to sell the rice. The only partial solution for me is to have the paddy parboiled, and then mill it as the parboiled paddy does not break up like the way the kekulu does. The rice in this field was white Pokuru Samba, the 4 month variety.

A further fact was that when it is too dry, many paddy seeds fall on the ground in the cutting process, and also as much of the area had fallen paddy contributing to a further loss of the harvest. Accordingly I suffered a considerable loss due to the delay in being able to cut the paddy.

The one advantage of cutting by hand is that the stalks dry out, and after threshing the paddy can be stored directly without drying. In the case of a harvester, one has to dry the paddy as can be seen in an earlier blog, before sale or storage.

The thresher charge is at the rate of Rs3,600 per hour and in my case there were 42 bags that took 70 minutes to thresh costing Rs4,200, making the threshing charge the equivalent of Rs100 a bag that weighed approximately 50kg each.

On balance it is more economical to use the harvester as it can work day or night and usually have your paddy cut when needed. I will in future have to do what is necessary to drain the water from the fields and reduce the wetness in order to use the harvester.

the parade of paddy bags to be sewn up prior to loading

the final act is to load the paddy bags onto my pick up to take to my place to be stored for milling and delivery to my customers of fresh rice.

Amberella plucking – a great way to shake a tree and rain 200kg of fruit - (spondias dulcis)

2010-04-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

There was this tree in my sister’s property loaded with Amberella, and even thought the fruit is smaller than on my trees, there were distinctly a huge amount. I would like to know if this is a budded tree that has got so big, as I don’t have budded varieties on my property, and the trees grow very tall, but here the branching seems to have happened from the bottom.

SHAKING THE TREE WITH THE LEGS TO RAIN AMBERELLA FRUIT ON THE GROUND

We determined the easiest way to pluck this was to shake the branches once we climbed the tree and it rained down on us. A few shakes later, the time it took to collect this lot was greater, whereas we should have laid a tarp on the ground and let it all fall into it to be bagged.

We cleaned half the fruit of the tree and got 200kg of fruit. While I retail my fruit on home delivery at Rs80/kg, what we I get at the wholesale market is another matter. The fruit once plucked cannot be kept for more than a week, and so has to be disposed off immediately. I am likely to get between Rs20 and Rs25 per kg, while if the fruit was a little larger a further Rs5kg would have been a likely price.

In the next door property, Gamini the neighbor told me that last week, he had collected 9 sacks of this fruit with still more left on the tree, and took it to the Dambulla wholesale market where he received Rs14,000. It is therefore possible that on the two fruiting seasons of a large Amberella Tree at its peak, one is able to harvest Rs30,000 of fruit on a wholesale basis. There is no care required, just the work in harvesting the fruit, and that only is just to shake and pick up!

I would not recommend anyone to grow a bud tree that fruits early, but the fruit is small, and hence my suspicion this may have been a budded tree that just grew and grew. The traditional tree grows 40 to 60f tall, but the wood is not worth anything. The fruit of the traditional tree is also about twice the size of the budded tree and fetches a higher price and the tree also yields a lot more fruit.

If only I could have made Amberella Chutney with this, I could have bottled and sold it over the months, but in the current state of the enterprise, I don’t have the expertise and time to do so. The tree grows quickly, but does not have an infinite life, with many dying after about 10 years. It is one fruit I think that probably yields pound for pound of tree weight more than any tree I can think of.

The various pics are of the fruit, tree, and the plucking and collecting process to interest the reader of the possible and normal. Thankfully this one crop was saved from theft.

UPFA agricultural policies are wrong, self serving, politically expedient, patronizing and most of all destructive- read on

2010-03-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

The mess our agriculture is in due to the populist agenda that fools the people

I speak with considerable experience having been mired in both dry zone and wet zone agriculture for the past 6 years and being the only person in Sri Lanka who farms at the same minimal peasant allotments of between 5 and 10 acres, and produces about 50 different food items, including milk, eggs and coconut oil, that I transport personally, (me being the driver) and delivers to my shop and direct to consumers homes, I work through the day and drive through the night in order to keep my small business alive and the mouths fed.(about 35 directly)

I am harassed and delayed at night, by traffic cops seeking bakshish, checkpoints because I am easier to stop than a speeding Pajero, by security forces personnel just having to check someone to justify their enormous pay in comparison to farm workers who work harder for little reward.

I challenge all comers to a debate on the nuances of marginal agriculture that 90% of the so called farmers engage in, and the perpetuation of their poverty, by the current agricultural policies of the government with well meaning slogans that are blatantly wrong misleading and downright patronizing to the hardworking people of this country who are being completely fooled, bamboozled and coerced into voting for the wrong ideals, and subjecting them into a permanent poverty trap, to be exploited by these very same politicians pretending to be their saviors.

This government has been the bane of productive farmers by only assisting unproductive ones with wasteful subsidies and false promises of help. We need a complete policy shift that can benefit the vast majority of the people in this country and the government just does not get it. The people who know no better, believe in the parroted lies hoping to find relief in promises that realistically cannot be fulfilled unless there is a complete change of emphasis and direction aimed at productivity and excellence along with the tools to do so.

We produce agriculture graduates, to be government servants as extension officers who are the bane of the farmers as they know nothing and pretend to work, whilst we are in dire need of dedicated and trained agriculturists to run and manage larger units using their knowledge, coupled with the experience of growing in more productive units using the latest techniques with access to adequate funding.

Daily, I see this humongous fertilizer subsidy washed down the fields, by uneducated incompetent farmers whose costs, if their labor is fairly priced, far exceed the selling price of their products. The larger more productive farms that could use the subsidy wisely don’t get it and they still make a profit.

The biggest political lie is that we have convinced half the electorate that they are farmers, when they are not. A farmer is someone who produces a surplus of food over and above what he consumes. Only about 10% of those classified as farmers fall into this category. The others just happen to live on productive farmland in villas and think they are poor, but work as bureaucrats, policemen, hospital staff, bus drivers and shop keepers to name just a fraction of the areas that not just supplement their income but provide most of their income.

We continue with giving land to landless to keep them mired in poverty and beholden to the politicians for giving this land, instead of making better use of this agricultural land in a productive sense, and giving people housing nearer urban areas, so they can more usefully be able to reduce the commute times and costs, and have closer access to schools and hospitals in their inevitable jobs that cannot be sustained by farming. Give them 10 perches please and not three acres.

Only 10% of the heads of households in my area would be considered worthy of being called “knowledgeable farmers”. They lack productive land as useless wastrels living on government largesse (thugs, goons, party men who got free govt. land but live elsewhere, moonshine distillers, and those looking to make a buck out of exploitation of others) are occupying prime property, received by them or their ancestors free of charge.

I have a plan that will double the nation’s food output, with no extra inputs (this will reduce imports and increase exports) reduce the wastage and reduce the price of food for the consumer, while at the same time reducing the marginal so called farmer to be more productive in other fields where his abilities can be better rewarded. We cannot afford to give farming to the least educated, but should gradually encourage the most educated as it is the vocation with greatest risk, and thereby potentially the greatest reward, which people at the margin cannot hope to understand and therefore exploit for personal gain.

If you are in any doubt as to the practicality of what I propose, read the hundreds of pages in this blog which are devoted to all the aspects of improvements, which I have through personal suffering experienced and feel is needed if we are to get ahead. I am involved in almost all varieties of agricultural production in a practical sense including tea in the green and black tea production as well as organic and non organic methods. Just to add a little more power to my words, I am the only person in Sri Lanka that grows 6 varieties of paddy and has 15 varieties of my own rice, to sell direct to my customers, who I supply myself, albeit in a very limited scale as my land extent is small and I have very marginal land to grown in.

Sadly no one in this country has the guts to take on this monolothic giant that is unpatriotic, bent on keeping the people in serfdom so they can be autocratic rulers. Worst of all when they receive an overwhelming plebiscite they will actually believe they are right, when it is the slogans that did it.

The economics of being a rice farmer – we have to increase the scale

2010-03-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

A Polonnaruwa a farmer gets Rs22/kg for nadu paddy( when it is bagged at the field where the wholesaler buys spot cash) the variety that farmers grow. Only a month ago (before the new harvest came in) the same paddy was selling at Rs40/kg
As a small scale miller, I can sell the rice at Rs33/kg to break even. The farmer loses money at Rs22/kg despite the fertilizer subsidy not covering his costs. The person who farms less than 2 acres, which accounts for half the paddy output, spends about Rs26/kg as cost of production if he uses labor on an av. crop of 1500kg. A farmer with 100 acres can reduce his costs using paid labor to Rs 12/kg WITHOUT using subsidized fertilizer. The Govt. guaranteed price of Rs28/kg is only when it is taken to the buying location in a condition suitable to them with low moisture content. This very same miller, (an actual example as I am using my local miller’s economics) sells the sudu kekulu rice not at Rs33/kg which would cover his cost, but at Rs48/kg which is commensurate with the market rate prevailing. He therefore has a clear profit of Rs15/kg.

In my case as I am not a miller, but a farmer who grows his paddy and then goes to the mill to mill his paddy and then transport it to my customers, I have the added costs, even though I get a slightly higher retail price, but his profit margin is much higher. I pay him a milling cost of Rs3/kg for paddy which works out at Rs4.50/kg of rice, an added cost to me, but zero cost to the miller as the by-product of milling, being rice bran and husk is sold at a greater revenue than what I pay for milling. All this being said the largest miller, namely a govt. agriculture minister a natural enemy of the farmer, stands to make a profit of at least Rs3M a day if his mill runs to capacity, a cool billion a year.(not counting the revenue of the electricity he generates from the husk to sell to the national grid over and above what he needs to run his mill. Rice bran now sells for Rs30/kg, a free by-product.
The carrot, that the govt. gives these poor farmers, is the subsidy. So foolishly because the govt. heavily subsidizes the fertilizer, the inefficient high cost farmer continues to gamble a high risk game of poker hoping the price he can get for his paddy is nearer Rs40/kg believing it is better not to forego such a great subsidy, little realizing that he will be better off to sell his subsidized fertilizer in the open market (that of course is illegal but is common practice) Actually this farmer is more likely to get a better income if he drops paddy and grows vegetables. One problem is that the irrigation system is designed only to supply water by way of the channel system to support paddy production. (certain days of the week, an unlimited amount and then once the harvest is near no water again till the beginning of the next season, a gap of over 60 days in some cases) Unless the farmer has his own source of water, he is then unable to engage in this cultivation.

Some observations of the ongoing paddy harvest

2010-03-23T02:59:00.000-07:00

In the past few days I have been busy harvesting my rice paddies. In one property, we used a Combine Harvester to do the work. The downside of the process is that the paddy that is bagged still has fresh cut paddy however dry it is when cutting. This means that a further period of a days drying in intense sunlight, as a minimum is required before bagging for storage.

Once cut the paddy bags are strewn along the fields by the harvester. I therefore had to take my pick up truck right into the fields to collect all the paddy bags.
Once I off loaded them in one central area, I had to request some space in a mill which I use to mill my paddy to dry on their large cement area which they too use to dry parboiled paddy. Carrying 90 bags of paddy in three trips in my pick-up hauling them and spreading them around the cement floor to dry and later scooping it back up is a tiring and time consuming job. How tiring it was the reader could only imagine. One has to constantly use one’s feet to move the drying paddy from side to side to ensure the paddy gets dry. Wet paddy can have a disastrous effect on the quality as it could actually spoil.
I spoke to farmers who do not like to use the Harvester because of this even though they may have to incur higher costs of cutting by hand and using the Tsunami threshing methods to solve their harvesting. In fact that is exactly the process I am doing in the adjoining property to Harvest because the Combine Harvester cannot work those fields as it would get stuck in the permanently waterlogged fields.

In this process of cutting by hand, once cut the sheaves have a day or two to dry out and so once the Tsunami is used to thresh, they can be bagged directly from the Tsunami and stored safely. Some also say that the harvester bags too much debris which calls for costly cleaning which is easily done by the large mills, once they get cheap paddy quoting the fact that the paddy needs drying and cleaning, which results in the low balling in price to the farmer at the farm gate. An added problem for many farmers in Polonnaruwa this season was the swarm of some insect that devastated the crop, which could not be salvaged by any type of crop spraying.

The state offers to buy paddy, but to meet the standards required, farmers have to go through hoops to get these promised amounts. The drying and cleaning are the two single biggest problems. It is important therefore that some kind of mechanized means is developed to ensure all this drying can be done cost effectively. There is no reason then to use the expensive manual labor to do this work.

The paddy bags filled after drying waiting for carrying and transport

Latest Harvest of BG 352 - Sudu Kekulu

2010-03-23T00:30:00.000-07:00

The machine disgorging the paddy late into the night.

I used the services of a combined harvester to cut, thresh and bag my paddy on Friday. The machine worked into the night as it can perform its duties at night as it has lights. The cost to me for the 3 acres was at the rate of Rs9.000 per acre. The total harvest though not weighed, was 90 bags, which is not excellent, but satisfactory when compared to my neighbors who suffered loss due to severe disease towards the end of the cycle.

The open hands collect fallen paddy by scooping it up and then cutting it with the rollers. However there is an element of paddy that gets left behind if the fallen paddy has got soaked making it difficult for the machine to scrape the sheaves from the ground.

The combined harvester at work in a paddy field, cutting, threshing, disposing of the straw and collecting the paddy to be disgorged into sacks from time to time.

one day they will either pull a cart or end up as tasty morsels, how will you know?

2010-03-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

The one on the left born on Dec 26th 2009 is known as Tsunami as he was born on the tsunami anniversary and the other fellow born exactly two months later and at birth was almost the current size of Tsunami was named Mahanami

recent pics from the rajarata

2010-03-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

A tomato plant before flowering.

One of my vegetable plots with tomato in the foreground and watakolu in the background framed by the paddy fields

The photo was taken at dawn as he sun was rising from the East burning the morning dew on the rice fields. This dew also gives moisture Mornings are very cold and one has to be completely wrapped up in bed with at least a sheet. This in contrast to the unbearable heat in Colombo.

the fields two days ago, to be harvested on March 19th

2010-03-02T01:43:00.000-08:00

New Birth

2010-02-26T22:30:00.001-08:00

The male calf born three days ago will either end up on a table as ninety

five percent do or be of some use.

.We will try along with the other male born two months ago use them to pull a cart or to use them to plough where the tractors have failed as described in earlier blogs.

A little appreciated fact despite all the pretend talk to the contrary, is that there is no use at all for bulls. At least in India cow dung is valued and collected along the roads also and the males play there part in this.

Don't forget there is limited fodder for cattle feed so a considered plan is essential in achieving the dual goals of maximizing milk production and prohibition of cattle slaughter, if that is part of the government policy.

As usual in anything agricultural there are unelated issues that always puts a spanner in the works of achieving the productivity and potential from our land. Until these conflicting aims are resolved there is no point in making silly stetements and scoring political points to fool the public.

This is but one example of many similar issues.

milling is no easy task in choosing the shade

2010-02-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

I spent the best part of the morning at the local paddy mill, where people go to mill their paddy be it parboiled or regular. I needed to top up my depleted supplies to my shop on the farm, so I had to take all the types I had in store this time.

My orders for red basmati has suddenly increased, as I gave demonstrations on how it was to be cooked. CIC sell it as a Golden Crop rice at Rs 170 a kg but I can assure the reader that theirs is not as fresh as mine. This rice was grown in a few fields in the adjoining property so I have a limited supply, and I regret selling the main supply as an out-grower for CIC, as it would have been better to sell it direct to my customers, as the huge loss I incurred would have at least resulted in a break even situation.

I milled it into two shades of red, and while I had less of the lighter shade, milled, I suspect the demand will be for the lighter shade though I can tell you the darker red is much tastier. This Basmati can be eaten on its own as it is really tasty, but one can only eat it in small quantities.

I also milled my red samba and red long grain both into different shades of red to suit the likes of different customers. I also milled the white Pokuru Samba that has a grain that is between normal Samba and the tiny grain of Keeri Samba.

It costs Rs 2 to mill a kg of paddy. On average 3 kgs of paddy yields 2kgs of rice. Therefore the milling cost of a kg sold is Rs3. If one puts the rice through the machine that eliminates stones, that adds a further 50 cents to the milling cost.

One has to be on site to agree on the shade to be milled as the individual customer preferences is not known to the miller, and cannot be communicated even by the provision of a sample as those in charge rarely manage to follow your orders.

I brought more than 500 kg of milled rice on this visit as suddenly the demand for my rice has increased due to the price increases elsewhere. I have not changed the price of my rice for many years, and now the external prices have exceeded mine, and therefore the customers see the worth in mine, whereas some thought it too expensive in the past. My red rices both are sold at Rs75 kg while the Basmati retails for Rs 125 and the Pokuru Samba at Rs 85.

agriculture and village upliftment are just not related

2010-01-19T03:06:00.000-08:00

A fundamental problem all our armchair politicians get into is to make statements on behalf of rural areas that are totally meaningless and illogical. They have never really lived in the villages and do not realize that there are few real farmers in the rural areas. Rural upliftment and agricultural growth are different concepts.

If one takes improvements of agriculture into account, one must look at all aspects that can at least double the productivity, which is quite possible with little extra effort. This should not be used in the context of helping farmers as that will only make agriculture more unproductive. The so called farmers have no idea of agriculture as they have just fallen into it as a matter of history and more as a failure on their part to find anything more productive. More than half the recipients of the agricultural subsidy still lose on paddy production, further perpetuating their dependency and not pushing them out into some more meaningful income source releasing lands to more productive larger scale farmers to farm.

In my humble opinion lets take each aspect I referred to separately, namely agriculture and rural upliftment. Improvements in agriculture can only be possible with modern techniques, like levelling paddy fields into more economical units so that productivity of the land can double and cost of production can halve by the use of large tractors. We just cannot afford the small scale as we just do not have the people who want to be in this field. Then we should get rid of the major scourges, like monkeys and peacocks that reduce the harvest by leaps and bounds. My most recent crop of mangoes was all destroyed in two days by a herd of monkeys, leaving none for me to sell! It is easy but has to be done at government level like darting all the monkeys so they become sterile and not reproduce. There is no shortage of these species so the reduction in numbers is not an issue. New varieties that are appropriate for the soil conditions along with proper guidance in their growing is important. Farmers in my area who have farmed rice for generations are still completely unaware that simple processes and practices can improve yields immensely.

With regard to rural upliftment in living conditions, the most important area is advising people on ambition, skills based on liking, and commitment towards sustainable income generating vocations. None of this is being properly implemented in the much talked about Gamidiriya program. I am in a Gamidiriya village and I can honestly say it is a total failure as the "hakiyawa" or abilities of the recipients are not ascertained. So the money lent for the vocational training is completely wasted as is the money lent to get people started in aspects of trade. It is important that a proper aptitude test be performed prior to such disbursements.

I am so full of hope as to the possible, but know no one who wishes to tackle this complete about face in attitude and will just have to fight my battles to convince others to the reality and then to the direction I propose.

A new birth on the land

2009-12-29T02:38:00.001-08:00

December 26th saw the birth of a male calf, to the heifer I took in my pick up from Godagama a few years back. Females are desired for future milk. He looks the spitting image of his dad, who was also taken from Godagama, and was the first calf born since my return to SL at the end of 2004, and a few days before the Tsunami. As the father could not be called Tsunami, the son can and maybe one day the father and son could used to pull a cart to take people around the farm!
One must realize that the male calves have no other future than ending up at some stage at the hands of a butcher’s knife. However pious people try and prevent animal slaughter, but money creeps in and meat is the result. The male I brought to Polonnaruwa has so far avoided the fate because the Friesen look that he has, which is black and white has involved him in being used to impregnate the local heifers. I have not made any charge for that service as I am sure he has calmed down as he feels his needs are met often. As bulls are hard to control, their noses are often pierced and a rope is put through which is used to control them.
The birth was in heavy rain, and the special hut prepared for them, was abandoned due to the rain even seeping in there. It is important that we take the excess milk after the calf has had its share, as these special types are bred for milk and it is important that this milk is extracted as otherwise the output will fall with future pregnancies.
The problem now is with the excessive rain it has been difficult to find grass to feed them, and all the available land is cultivated with rice paddies. In an ideal scenario, the grass would be cut and taken to a cattle shed where the steer manure can be collected in one place to be used to make compost. To be fair for a farmer the ability to make maximum use of the manure is just as, if not more important than the milk. The high yielding grasses unfortunately don’t grow here.
One problem has been to isolate the animals in one place. The coconut seedlings and other vegetation doesn’t get unnecessarily eaten up in the process. It is a perennial problem of farmers that stray cattle destroy other people’s crops as they are not properly tied up. I have lost many a coconut plant to cattle, as the people responsible for taking care of them have been derelict in not controlling their movement. With an organized plan to isolate the areas of their habitation, I hope to be able to increase the herd and also provide the basic raw material for compost which will be an essential ingredient in the growth of crops in a future with no subsidized fertilizer. It is important that we start now.

"we are still transplanting by hand" where are the alternatives?

2009-12-22T01:46:00.000-08:00

We sowed one set of paddy fields on Poya, December 1st, and within minutes of sowing the rains came after a lapse of 11 days without rain. What it did was to move the sown seedlings in some areas either to wash away with the water, or displace them. Fortunately we took the precaution of also sowing a nursery for this eventuality.

Therefore on December 20th two of the local women came to transplant the empty patches. They first remove the nursery plants into bunches and get that ready. That is what is being done in the photos here taken on that day. They then transplant this into fields where there is heavy wash off of seedlings. Once that is done, they transplant the balance into lighter areas where there are few plants. There are also places where due to the rain areas near the drainage points of fields have a thicker density of plants due to the run-off. Here the paddy plants need to be thinned and excess plants planted in areas of less density.

It should also be noted that it is easier to replant if the fields are sodden, as fingers are used to press the plant into the soil in transplanting and is obviously harder to do this when the surface is hard.

These women get a daily wage of Rs600, we provide morning tea with a bun and afternoon tea. They go home for lunch. The working hours are from 8am to 5pm with an hour for lunch and two 15 minute tea breaks during the day. The unfortunate thing is that this labor is scarce, and so the work is not on productivity basis, and the rate is the same whether worker is twice as fast or twice as slow!! As this is a day or two's work, it cannot be incentive based like a contract to transplant an area.

Further they are not reliable, as they did not come the following day, but came on the day after that. This means it is difficult to rely on expediting the work. So machines your time is now so we can rely less on an increasingly more unproductive workforce who believe they are doing us a favor in an ever increasing wage scenario.

The sooner we can replace manual labor the lower will be our costs of production.

timing of the rain has once again been unkind

2009-12-16T23:01:00.000-08:00

Despite the best laid plans, there are so many variables in agriculture that are beyond one's control that until the harvest is in, one cannot predict if one would get a harvest at all. All it takes are a few unforeseen events to put a spanner in the works just like in the last few days when the skies literally opened and buckets of water poured into already saturated fields where only runoff was the order of the day and with it top soil, and some of the fertilizer application with it.

Some of my neighbors were even far worse off than me, where due to the heavy rains the sowed seed has been washed off and they have to sow again, incurring further expense and in addition getting the fields repaired by reinforcing the boundaries.

It also meant that the application of the preemergent weedicides had to be delayed and now a different product will have to be sprayed as the product I had in hand had to be applied within 48hours of sowing. As stated in a previous blog this costs more than the fertilizer subsidy and having to rethink the replacement makes an already expensive task even more so.

A larger producer would have a greater window on which he performs his planting and therefore only a section of his cultivation would be affected as the harm to different stages in the growing process is less, the earlier the planting. They are therefore able to average out such costs unlike the small producer who suffers the loss on his complete unit.