News
Agri don stresses need for strategic planning to manage surplus as SL aims to double paddy harvest by 2027
By Rathindra Kuruwita
If the Sri Lankan government is serious about significantly increasing the paddy harvest, it must also think about what to do with the surplus, Senior Professor Buddhi Marambe, Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, said commenting on a recent government statement that they plan to double the paddy harvest by 2027.
He said that already the country is self-sufficient in paddy, but the farmers often have to sell their paddy below cost.
“If the government manages to dramatically increase the paddy harvest, the prices must collapse leading to a crisis. We need to set up the necessary infrastructure to ensure that this surplus production is used meaningfully and to prevent the price from collapsing”.
Prof. Marambe said that according to a 2020 gazette, rice produced in Sri Lanka can’t be sold to the poultry industry.
“This step was taken in 2020 due to circumstances. However, now we produce a surplus of paddy, and our maize industry has reached its limits. Research has found rice can be 40 percent of broiler chicken feed. We can funnel the surplus to poultry and even beer. The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) can hold about 350,000 tonnes of paddy. But PMB stores really need to be modernized,” he said.
Sri Lanka has also started producing biscuits, using rice, in recent years, he said, adding that here are specific types of rice that can be used for this.
The government can encourage farmers, in areas that are not covered from major irrigation schemes, to plant less water intensive crops during the Yala season, where the water is scarce, Senior Professor Marambe said.
Sri Lanka must focus on increasing agricultural productivity in areas with high potential and farmers committed and open to using new technologies and techniques, he added, commenting on a recent government statement that they plan to double the paddy harvest by 2027.
High potential areas are those with an assured supply of water, i.e., areas that receive water from major irrigation schemes like Mahaweli, he said.
“Those are places where we can get higher yields and if some of these areas are underperforming, the government must immediately address them. However, it’s silly to think you can double the productivity in each plot of paddy land”.
Prof. Marambe went on to say that a Sri Lankan, on average, consumes about 112.5 kilos of rice annually. Thus Sri Lanka needs more than 200,000 tonnes a month to meet the demand. To produce 2.4 million tonnes of rice a year, the farmers need to produce 3.8 million tonnes of paddy, he said.
“In recent years, except the years in which President Gotabaya Rajapaksa went fully organic, Sri Lanka has been producing a surplus of paddy. The paddy yield from the wet zone is much less than the yield from the dry and intermediate zones. In areas that are not under major irrigation schemes, there are water shortages in the Yala season. The government must promote crops that need less water in those areas during the Yala season. This can be done under the theme of crop diversification,” Prof. Marambe said, mentioning that they can go back to paddy during the Maha season.
The Peradeniya University academic said there are six inter provincial zones, apart from the Mahaweli, that receive water from major irrigation schemes, i.e., about 163,000 hectares. These are all high potential areas and the yield in these must be improved. There are 95,000 hectares under the Mahaweli scheme and out of that 53,000 hectares have been earmarked as high potential areas by the Agriculture Department.
“Right now, on average, the yield here is about 5.5 tonnes per hectare, but we can push them further. At present, only about 16 percent of seed paddy are certified as high-quality ones. We need to improve this to at least 25 percent in the next few years. Then we need to supply high quality inputs that are suitable for these areas. We must think about how we harvest and how we store,” he said.
It has been reported quoting police sources that the death toll from the renewed unrest at the Negombo Prison which this morning, has risen from nineteen to twenty five (25).
A clash initially broke out between two groups of inmates (a group of remand prisoners and a group of convicted inmates serving sentences) at the Negombo Prison at around 1.00 p.m. on Sunday (05).
Two inmates died in yesterday’s clash, while around 40 others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at hospital.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the children of Sri Lanka are well capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical ways of thinking, and that the Government is committed to equipping them with the required knowledge and modern technologies necessary to realize their full potential.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the opening of the ’Arumasiya’ Exhibition and the occasion of laying the foundation stone for a new three-storey building at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, on the 4th of July.
During the visit, the Prime Minister officially declared open the exhibition showcasing the students’ innovations and creative talents and commended them for their remarkable achievements. The Prime Minister also participated in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the College’s new three-storey building.
Addressing the occasion, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“It is a pleasure to participate in this special event at Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, the school where Sri Lanka’s first female Prime Minister received her education
I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition featuring the outstanding creations and innovations of the students. What I witnessed was a group of talented young people who have moved beyond textbook learning and are capable of viewing the world with creativity and critical thinking.
We are introducing a new education reform process that moves away from a rote-learning, examination-oriented system towards a practical and skills-based one. The Government is now systematically completing all the necessary preparations to implement the new education reforms scheduled to commence in 2027.
Our objective is to ensure that every child leaving school has access to vocational and technical education that matches their individual talents and meets the demands of the modern labour market. We are committed to transforming vocational education into a field that enjoys the same dignity and recognition as university education.
Finally, I commend the Principal and the academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College for organizing this exhibition, and to the students and parents whose dedication made this event a success.”
The event was attended by Members of Parliament for Ratnapura District Wasantha Pushpa Kumara and Sunil Rajapaksha, the Mayor of Balangoda and members of the Municipal Council, the Zonal Director of Education, the Principal and academic staff of Balangoda Vidyaloka Central College, parents, and students.
Prime Minister’s Media Division
The appointment of a Special Parliamentary Ombudsman (SPO) to inquire into the complaints against the Attorney General, as promised in the NPP manifesto, is on hold, pending the establishment of an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
Authoritative sources told The Island that the Justice and National Integration Ministry was awaiting the recommendations, regarding the new legislation for the establishment of such an Office, from a Committee of Technical Experts, chaired by Justice Yasantha Kodagoda, PC.
Responding to a query raised in Parliament by SJB lawmaker Ajith P. Perera about the delay in appointment of SPO, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the government couldn’t take a decision until the Kodagoda Committee made recommendations.
Nanayakkara said that the positioning of the SPO couldn’t be decided before they differentiate the powers of the Attorney General and the an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers.
According to the NPP manifesto, provincial Sub Officers were to be established under a senior Additional Solicitor General.
Opposition sources pointed out that the relevant Cabinet decision was taken on 7 May 2025. According to the Cabinet Office, the government decided to establish an Independent Office of the Public Prosecutor and provincial Sub Officers in line with a proposal made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her final report on Sri Lanka, submitted in September, 2024.
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