An integrated program to develop agriculture in Sri Lanka

By Cecil Dharmasena

Retired – Regional Deputy Director (Research), Agriculture Department

Retired – Director (Forestry & Environment), Mahaweli Authority cecildharmasena@gmail.com)

The sudden proposal to ban the import and use of chemical fertilisers and agro-chemicals (such as pesticides and weedicides) with the objective of switching over one hundred percent to organic farming practices on an immediate basis, is unwise and impractical.

The objectives of toxin-free farming, a clean environment and a healthy population is laudable. But a drastic switch over should be carefully and rationally planned so as not to cause chaos, confusion and a possible food shortage as well as significant loss in export earnings. This latter is not something we can afford at the present juncture when we are struggling to survive under a sinking world economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first priority is to appoint a scientific committee consisting of Senior Agriculture Department Scientists (including retired specialists) along with specialists from the Department of Minor Export Crops (MEC), Department of Animal Production and Health (AP&H), Irrigation Department (Water Management), Mahaweli Authority, the Plantation Sector (Tea, Rubber and Coconut) and the Universities, to prepare a national plan on the feasibility of organic farming along with proposals to improve the entire agricultural sector on a national scale.

The recently appointed “Task Force” appears to lack the above expertise.

The following guidelines should be considered:

1. Recognising and updating the relevant Departments and connected Authorities and Institutions (i.e. Agriculture, MEC, AP&H, Irrigation, Agrarian Services/Marketing, Mahaweli, Plantations etc.) so as to co-ordinate the total agriculture and food production effort on a national basis. Either bring all these institutions under one Ministry (Agriculture) or create a powerful Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Authority, the former being the better option.

2. Make an in-depth study on the present status of organic farming as against use of chemical fertilisers / agrochemicals in each major sector such as paddy, other field crops, vegetables, fruits, MEC / Spices, cut-flower (floriculture), plantation crops etc. The degree to which organic methodology can be introduced scientifically and profitably, should be assessed.

3. To prevent sub-standard imports and use of contaminated, low quality fertilisers / agrochemicals including organic manures, etc., establish a quality testing laboratory and a system of strict rules and regulations on quality for both imported and locally manufactured items. High quality chemical fertilisers / agrochemicals are toxin free and should be applied at the correct dosage. The problem is, due to substandard items being imported and applied in excessive amounts, thus causing toxicity and pollution in the soil and water sources.

4. Since Organic Manures and other organic products are required in very large quantities as against chemical fertilisers / agrochemicals, assess the possibility of production on the required scale on an island-wide basis along with storage capacity, transport and application systems on a large scale.

5. Explore the possibility of local manufacture of chemical fertilisers (N, P and K) and other agrochemicals (pesticides, weedicides, inoculum etc.) using local raw-materials such as the Eppawela Rock Phosphate deposit. Part of these items could be lucratively exported.

6. Accelerate Research Programs on organic practices, high-tech farming (Green Houses etc.), Integrated Pest Management (IPM) etc. Research Institutes and Universities should coordinate this effort to upgrade biological pest and disease control, traditional agronomic techniques, plant breeding for high yield and resistance, bio-fertilizers etc.

7. Presently, most seed material (other than paddy) is imported. Government seed farms which were sold to the private sector should revert back to government, be upgraded and geared to produce our entire seed requirement. Import of seed should be phased out. Local varieties must be improved and once again popularized. A national seed production and distribution system should be established. Traditional varieties can be promoted for a niche (organic) market.

8. The former Extension Service of the Agriculture Department has broken down since the establishment of the Provincial Council system. This essential service has to be fully resurrected through fresh recruitment, training and thereafter strengthening the district-wise advisory service. This requires urgent upgrading of the Schools of Agriculture (Farm Schools), the Practical Farm Schools (one-year certificate), In-Service Training Institutes and the Agriculture Service Centres (ASC) for training of staff and farmers and providing all agrarian services to farmers at village level.

9. A strong “Agrarian Services Authority” must be established with modern, computerised data gathering capability. Organise district-wise state sponsored purchasing centres, transport and distribution, storage (including cold storage), value adding / preserving (including research and development), packaging, marketing, export and retail services through CWE, Sathosa, Co-ops, Registered Franchise Shops, private supermarkets etc. Establish price-control mechanisms, Crop Insurance and farmer loan schemes. Revamp the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) and set up government Rice Mills and storage complexes island wide.

10. Create Farmer Societies or Co-operatives at village level which can counter exploitation by middlemen. These societies should operate with the Agrarian Service Authority so as to stabilise prices to the farmer and consumer as well. Wastage and crop losses can be minimised while over-production, under-production, wrong timing of output (weather and season based), distribution problems, and a chaotic marketing system can be avoided. In fact, we can easily reduce the extents of inefficiently cultivated agricultural lands (as happens today) and put such lands back under forest cover (especially in the hill-country region) while producing the same (or higher) quantities of fruits and vegetables and other field crops. A modernised and computerised national production plan with the proper Extension and Agrarian Services to guide it, can easily achieve this goal.

11. Similarly, the Animal Production / Dairy Production sectors must also be brought under this national plan so as to prevent manipulation of prices and the market. Uncontrolled import of poultry / eggs, meat and dairy products has to be phased out. Local production should be radically improved to meet our total demand.

12. The present monopoly in rice milling and paddy marketing has to be eliminated with strict state intervention. The state should also control import of essential food items in relation to vagaries in local production. “Food for the Nation” should be considered an “essential service” where hoarding, not declaring stocks, manipulating imports and exports and creating artificial shortages, etc,. are considered serious offences. New legislation in this regard is essential.

The above twelve points should be seriously considered by the Scientific Committee. Organic farming and reverting back to ancient techniques and traditional varieties and practices are somewhat idealistic goals.

Feeding a population of 22 million people with limited arable land, a serious shortage of farm labour and a very limited water supply (made worse by climate change and increasingly adverse weather patterns) is not an easy task. It cannot be done with home-garden agriculture and traditional cultivation techniques. This was possible over a century ago when our population was around one million with a forest cover of over 80%. Today, the forest cover has dropped to 17% and there is no way we can reduce this anymore. In fact, we should increase our forests (especially in the hill country) to 30% or more. Therefore, the output (yield) per unit of agricultural land has to be a maximum.

Political slogans such as “land of the landless” are no longer tenable. Land is precious and only the minimum necessary should be utilized for agriculture, urban development and infrastructure development while the rest should remain under forest cover if we are to save our fragile environment and thereby the precious water sources. This is especially relevant due to our massive increase in population.

Therefore, a “National Land Use Plan” and a “National Agriculture Production Plan” rather than ad-hoc agriculture is the only way to save the environment, produce sufficient food and avoid the human-elephant conflict and pest and disease epidemics.

Under these circumstances, a complete switch over to organic farming without addressing the above issues, is not a risk worth taking.