‘Shree Anna’ and  Sri Lanka

Saturday 18th March, 2023

The Rajapaksa-Wickremesinghe government can allocate funds for anything other than elections. It claims to be too broke to spare any money for polls whenever the Election Commission makes requests to that effect. But it readily parts with huge amounts of public money to keep its politicians happy. One thing they put their hearts and souls into is junketing overseas. Never do they miss an opportunity to see the world at the expense of the public, who are struggling to dull the pangs of hunger.

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is reported to have left for India to attend the ‘Global Conference on International Year of Millets’ to be held in New Delhi, today and tomorrow. The UN has adopted India’s proposal that 2023 be declared the Year of Millets.

The importance of millet needs no elaboration. It is considered a wonder grain with the potential to help tackle global hunger so much so that Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has, in her Budget speech, aptly described it as ‘Shree Anna’ or ‘mother of all grains’. It has been reported that the global conference which gets underway, today, will focus on some important issues related to millets such as promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders, value chain development, health and nutritional aspects of millets, market linkage, research and development. International scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders are expected to take part in the conference, according to media reports.

India has evinced a keen interest in millet production and set up the Indian Institute of Millets Research in Hyderabad. Finance Minister Sitharaman has said it will be converted into a centre of excellence to share best practices, research and technologies at the international level. Sri Lanka should promote millet production as part of its strategy to ensure food security and could enlist India’s help for that purpose.

Minister Amaraweera and his former political bosses, the Rajapaksas, who are controlling the incumbent government, come from an area—Hambantota—once known for producing finger millet or kurakkan, which is of ideological importance to the current regime. The Rajapaksa family has adopted the colour kurakkan for their trademark saataka, which they flaunt to hoodwink the ordinary public, especially the farming community. Sadly, the country has had to import even finger millet to meet a shortfall in the supply thereof. The same goes for mung, which is also imported in large quantities as its local production has dropped drastically over the decades. So much for the current rulers’ contribution to the development of agriculture!

It will be interesting to see how Minister Amaraweera proposes to promote millet production here. But rice being Sri Lanka’s Shree Anna, as it were, shouldn’t the Agriculture Minister, first of all, make a serious effort to sort out issues related to paddy cultivation? Rice growers are up in arms in all parts of the country, unable to bear the escalating cost of production and the shortage of fertiliser, etc. They also cannot sell their produce at reasonable prices. The government keeps making various pledges, which go largely unfulfilled. Powerful millers continue to exploit farmers and consumers alike by manipulating the paddy and rice markets with government politicians and officials doing nothing to rein them in for obvious reasons. Let Minister Amaraweera be urged to reveal how he proposes to tackle these problems after his return from the international millet conference.