News
FAO/WFP mission wants govt. to strengthen Yala/Maha production with required fertiliser
FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM), has recommended to the government to make available fertilisers to farmers to strengthen the ongoing Yala production and to make urgent provisions to ensure fertiliser availability for the 2023/24 Maha season.In a recent report, following the mission, the FAO/WFP said fertilisers are available in stock, and thus all three straight fertilisers (Urea, MOP, and TSP) should be made accessible to farmers to strengthen the 2023 Yala season.
The mission also recommended transferring the responsibility of paddy fertiliser imports and distribution to the private sector, guided by a newly established fertiliser task force, under the President’s office, from the 2023/24 Maha season onward.
They also urged the government to guarantee policy directions with clear, formal communication to both farmers and input importers/distributors and to scale up nationwide the electronic fertiliser voucher support mechanism, targeted to paddy smallholder farmers.
“Retain the crop insurance scheme as the primary agricultural risk transfer mechanism during the transition period, with a gradual shift towards a weather index-based insurance scheme, particularly for the dry zone, instead of blanket schemes for the entire country,” the mission recommended.
FAO/WFP also urged the government to initiate applied research to explore, adapt and expand climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies for sustainable crop intensification.
“Given the country’s historical dependence on fertiliser subsidies, there is a need to catch up on implementing sustainable farming methods. The mission has identified certain high-potential for climate smart agriculture practices. These practices aim to assist farmers in maintaining and enhancing soil fertility through the production of their own compost and nitrogen fertiliser and optimizing the use of chemical fertilisers, thereby reducing the needs and the import bill of chemical fertilisers,” the mission said.
The UN agencies also recommended the government to encourage farmers to transition to nitrogen-fixing legume crops, such as soybeans, in well-draining paddy areas to enhance water efficiency and soil fertility. In water-abundant regions, introduce early maturing crops like green gram, black gram or cowpea after the paddy harvest to utilize residual moisture. Legume fodder crops could also complement the paddy harvest, strengthening the connection between livestock and soil fertility.
The mission also asked the government to offer guidance and financial incentives for farmers to produce their own compost using livestock manure, crop residues and local biomass. The government must also implement penalties for burning crop residue biomass.
The mission said that it was important to facilitate the transfer of value addition along the supply chain to paddy smallholder farmers.
“During the crisis, paddy farmers seem to be losing influence in the value chain, while downstream actors are capturing a greater share of the value addition. Scale up the negotiable warehouse receipt system. Expand the negotiable warehouse receipt system to counter seasonal paddy price fluctuations exploited by intermediaries. This system, promoted by Regional Development Banks in Sri Lanka, allows farmers to store their produce securely and use the receipts as collateral for bank loans, enabling them to sell their harvest later at higher prices. To amplify this approach, consider using the government’s existing food storage capacity of 350 000 tonnes across 20 districts,” the report said.
by Saman Indrajith
TheBatalanda Presidential Co-mission report was tabled in Parliament yesterday (14) by the Leader of the House and Transport Minister, Bimal Ratnayake.
Minister Ratnayake announced that the government has decided to forward the report to the Attorney General for legal advice. Additionally, a Presidential Committee will be appointed to provide guidance and recommendations on how to proceed with the findings of the report.
Ratnayake said that the Cabinet-of-Ministers, along with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has made a policy decision to take necessary action in response to the report. He reassured the public that steps are being taken to ensure that such a dark chapter in the country’s history is never repeated.
Minister Ratnayake said that a two-day debate on the Batalanda Commission report will be scheduled in Parliament at an appropriate time, allowing for a detailed discussion on the report’s findings and recommendations.
The report, which will be printed in all three official languages—Sinhala, Tamil, and English—will be made available to the public in the near future. Ratnayake confirmed that printed copies would be provided to Members of Parliament, as well as the general public, for review.
The Leader of the House revealed that there are 28 evidence volumes associated with the Commission’s work, which will be submitted to Parliament at a later date for further scrutiny.
Ratnayake said that as the entire country is concerned about the findings of the Batalanda Commission, the government’s commitment to addressing the issues raised, and preventing future atrocities, stands clear. The next steps, including legal action and policy recommendations, will be shaped by expert advice and informed parliamentary discussions, he said.
The Parliamentary watchdog Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has found that there were fake documents regarding the importing of medicines under the emergency procurement system in 2022 and 2023.
This was revealed during a COPE meeting held at Parliament probing the transactions of the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA).
NMRA CEO Saveen Semage told the Committee that several fake documents have been found due to the lack of registration of medicines.
Stating that six such fake documents were found last year alone, Saveen Semage said he had recorded statements regarding each of the documents with the Financial Crimes Investigation Division.
He revealed that, however, no investigations have been conducted yet into the incidents.
“We have documents with confessions from a woman accepting that fake documents had been made. However, a statement has not even been recorded from that woman yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, COPE member MP Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana also revealed that the highest number of waive-off registrations (WOR) for medicines had been obtained in 2022 and 2023.
He said 656 waive-off registrations (WOR) had been obtained in 2022 and 261 in 2023, adding that this proves that discrepancies have taken place during the emergency procurement of medicines during these periods.
Furthermore, Deputy Director General of the Medical Supplies Division of the Health Ministry, Dr. G. Wijesuriya, said discussions are underway on allowing the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) to directly import essential medicines.He pointed out that it was essential to take a policy decision in this regard as a solution to mitigate such discrepancies.
by Norman Palihawadane
Department of Prisons’ Media Spokesperson, Gamini Dissanayake said yesterday that retired Superintendent of the high security Boossa Prison, Siridath Dhammika, who was tragically gunned down at Thalagaha, in Akmeemana, on Thursday (13), had been provided with a firearm for his protection during his tenure, considering the potential threat to his life.
Dissanayake said that during his service period, he had received threats from certain individuals.
Furthermore, the Prison Department stated that during his service, there were no significant issues or shortcomings found in his personal records.
Dissanayake said that the majority of detainees at the Boossa Prison are individuals linked to organized crimes.
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