The Chillington Crocodile with over 150 years of faithful service in Sri Lanka

Over the years, seven and a half, to be exact I must have bought at least 100 ‘Kimbula udalu thalayas’ for my agricultural needs. If one goes into the web site of Chillington, which is manufactured in the West Midlands in the UK, there is a size and shape of Mammoty just for the Sri Lankan market. I think we must be suckers for inefficient agriculture as we keep insisting on using mammotys and the 9”X9” is the best selling model.

So it was purely coincidental that on Sunday I was in a small village of Udupila in the Mahara electorate to distribute 24 of these to the local people who had been previously informed that they would be receiving one from us. Actually over 100 had requested them, but only 24 could be purchased with the available allocated funds this year with the rest promised next year. This was notably the first time the Kimbula was distributed, as previously the locally produced Lanlo was, and I had no faith in its longevity.

I have mentioned this before, but we can only request the make and size and hope that is what is given. A further problem is that we have no control over the price that is paid for it. These were given at Rs1200 to our budget, when I can buy them at a place I have always bought in Dambulla at Rs850 so one can imagine there is some hanky panky at the Divisional Secretariat in this purchase at the expense of the people of the country. If only they worked for the people’s interest and not their own.

I still question the ethics of handing out these to people who use it for home gardens and around the house tasks, and not for farming proper. It is given because they have requested them from a hobson’s choice of a limited amount of items. Secondly those who received the Mammoty are not necessarily the most deserving cases. Their main claim to fame is that they have been somehow treated unfairly by the state as they are known to be party people, and therefore penalized for a transgression or two whilst those of the govt. who do the same are not even prosecuted. They therefore feel it is their right to receive something when some item such as this is distributed to people in that particular area by one of their MPs.

Further the “Udalu Mita” or the wooden pole to which this is attached must be added before it can be safely used. It is not easy to do this, as I know from experience and it can only be done properly by someone well experienced in it and it is unlikely that the majority of the recipients will be able to do the needful for at least another 6months before they are usable.

Is the State not going to buy the Paddy from Farmers this year? Ampara District a case in point!!

Judging from the first to harvest paddy this season, namely the Ampara District and to some extent the Kurunegala District farmers, the former do it on a large scale and therefore have to dispose of their harvest as soon as it is dried and packed. The Kurunegala farmers on the other hand are usually those with smaller plots, and are able to store their paddy and use a substantial amount for personal consumption.

No allocations have been made for the Paddy Marketing Board to purchase the paddy from Ampara. The big mill owners, including the Govt. stooges, Dudley Sirisena of Araliya Mills and Siripala Gamlath of Nipuna fame do not appear to have sent their lorries to purchase. The price of paddy has fallen to Rs16 per kg. In the days ahead we will see agitation, even riots and self immolation, as the farmers are in a real bind. I have hardly seen this in the press yet as it is too far away for the reporters to get a scoop but it is a matter of time. I understand that the big boys have let the price slide so they can QUIETLY scoop it up at that price.

This is a case of highway robbery. I as a paddy farmer know that at Rs16kg, I can mill paddy and sell rice before transport costs at Rs25kg. If one adds Rs5 for transport and retail, then it can be sold at a profit to the wholesaler at Rs30. This same rice is today Rs45. Can you imagine the profit margin of the Big millers in this game? Nipuna has his own electricity generation, and is able to sell byproducts of Rice bran for animal and human food, giving him an added profit advantage. Who is the loser and winner at this price? I am sure my reader can ascertain that!!!!

I am therefore contending that it is another calculated game played by the Govt. not to allocate funds for the purchase until most of the Ampara paddy is sold at cheap prices to millers, who can then stock and sell it whenever they wish at the prevailing retail prices which I guarantee will NOT fall to Rs30 for Sudu Kekulu or Rs33 for Nadu, both of which is the price it can be sold at if the paddy is Rs16.

It is always the miller/ wholesaler who has the money and the transport and storage arranged, who benefits from this pricing. It is important if there is a state purchasing mechanism, that unlimited funds are given for the guaranteed minimum price of Rs28kg for Kekulu and Rs30kg for Samba at all times, and not at small windows of time which is open to corruption, mismanagement and highway robbery. What actually happens even in this latter scenario is that the Millers further use the state as their bank to buy and store it for them, and they buy it later at a lower price when the state has nowhere to store, or the paddy begins to spoil due to the poor storage practices of the state warehouses. THE SYSTEM SUCKS

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

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

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!

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.