Sarath Wijesinghe President’s Counsel and former Ambassador to UAE and Israel and President ambassador’s forum in UK/SL

Rice is staple food in Sri Lanka

Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka culturally linked to the history as an agricultural nation in addition being a beautiful compact nation. She has been self-sufficient from rice and historically exported rice to other countries. Invasion of the western powers and de-tabulation of the agricultural economy ended the agriculture to nature of the economy and livelihood of the citizen to be dependent on external factors and assistance due to the foreign domination of decades by Portuguese in 1505 and thereafter the full domination by the British in 1796, until the attainment of freedom in 1948 from British imperialists. Sri Lanka had an excellent irrigation system, connected to small and major’’ Weva’s ‘’ (reservoirs) covering the entire island preservation and collecting water for agriculture and other uses. It is King ‘’Parakramabahu 1’’ in 1153-1156 who declared that not a drop pf water that comes from rain flows into the seas without being use by the man for agricultures an adage that echoes up to today encouraging agriculture which is linked to Sri Lankan culture from time immemorial to date in agricultural traditions still in practice.

Rice culture converted to bread culture by foreign domination

 At the time of domination and thereafter Sri Lanka have been a rich country capable of assisting the dominant powers and self sufficient from rice with 20,000 varieties and food in pliantly with financial reserves to run the economy comfortably. Western powers introduced the bread culture to sell their food and consumer items  to the locals by destroying village self sufficiency where all products including agriculture and the rest were produced in the village to fee the foreign farmers and industrialists and foolish Sri Lankans got into the trap of the foreign dominations who succeeded in their attempts in changing the traditional rice culture to bread culture and the way of life to depend on the imports from the foreign countries for food and consumer items.

Culture based on agriculture

Traditional celebrations such as new year and other in Sri Lanka has also been linked to agriculture, harvesting periods and religious and cultural norms and practices on important events such as the planting, harvesting and other important events and steps on steps of agriculture such as application of fertilizer and  watering with religious steps given priority offering the first portions of rice to the temple and ‘’Dalada Maligawa’’ or the ‘’Bo tree’’ as the case be in ceremoniously and on religious order, and in short the culture and the religion has been given the priority on agriculture and agricultural events. Sri Lanka is bestowed with 20,000 varieties of rice which are of highest quality than the hybrid created artificially by modern scientists. Hector ‘’Kobbakudawa’’ research institution is a well-equipped institution of highest quality which is not given maximum use and capacity due to the lack of vision and strategy of the respective departments of water resources and agricultures.

Forced conversion to ‘’Bread Culture’’

Economy and culture were based on agriculture and water management and resources are of highest scientific quality that Suprises the modern agri – scientists on the unfloor of the water network to the entre country via rivers, ‘’Wevas’’ and canals access to the paddy friends in villages with levels and levitations for unfloor of water. Citizen was made lazy and discouraged to cultivate and depended on shipments for food and consumer items imported from the foreign companies using the ample foreign exchange available then even to feed the foreign powers, and as a result the government started to import rice, and wheat for convenience and more profits in addition to making the community lazy and dependent on the government and employment, whit the change of the system of education to help the government in place of creativity and innovations linked to business and agriculture as Singapore and Israel who easily surpassed Sri Lanka in all respects including agriculture and innovations them becoming leaders on agriculture and innovations when Sri Lanka was lagging behind expecting and depending on foreign loans with weak and lethargic governments fighting with each other for power with no aim or a vision for the nation to prosper. Foreigners ( Singaporean Company Prima) extracted the most nourishing part of wheat and send Sri Lanka the unproductive and malnourished part in place of rice which is nourishing and local that has been in used for ages with no burden to the nation exporting a part of it abroad.

Crisis in paddy production and shortage of rice for the consumer

Paddy production is in a crisis with no sufficient paddy for the nation once self-sufficient, and today the government is compelled to import a part of the needs of rice when the farmer too is dissatisfied due to lack of facilitates and a profit margin for the investment’s and make ends meet for the livelihood. The simplest process has become complicated with the fertilizer subsidy, expenditure for the cultivation, and the sale of the production depending on the governance, major mill owners and small timers not giving or not in a position to give the proper price to the farmer spending heavily on agriculture despite unexpected and unforeseen events such as natural calamities and destructions from wild animals which is common and disastrous. Government policy changes have made matters worse by not streamlining the paddy marketing board, the fleet of lorries, and the stores abundance today leaving fat cat millowners to purchase paddy from the field at a bargain price when inefficient paddy board laydown strict rules to the farmer to transport paddy cleaned and dried to the paddy board and pay less than the millowners out of whom 50% are ‘’fat cat ‘’leaders and the rest small timers. Tru it is complicated and it is the duty of the governance to adopt a strategy and a mechanism if the policy is to give priority to agricultures as promised and perched and expected by the nation.

Shortage of rice in the market

Some say shortage is due to the use on preparation of alcohol where only 30,000 mt tons are used. The shortage appears to be on popular kinds such as ‘’Keeri Samba ‘’and red rice which is in demand. Millers depend on bank loans and the government can have a direct and direct control over the price by legal and procedural mechanisms, which will be dealt later under a different topic. Shortage and disorganization are due to various factors including lack of vision, procedure, form commitment and lack of communication with respective ministries and departments.it is not a simple process as one thinks it is as in the past as the farmer is pressed with many responsibilities, commitments and needs in every step on the process of cultivation.

Israel 98%agritculture is technology for us to learn and follow

 Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in in the hands of President AKD and Minister Lal Kantha land and irrigation with a thin lawyer with lot of responsibilities, and with main responsibilities with them on the entire agriculture process and it is timely and advisable to learn from Israel a tiny strip in the dry Middle East which is a leader on agriculture and innovators using 98% technology on agriculture innovations and star tups being s nuclear emerging world power today – a leader of agriculture  ever prepared to help Sri Lanka. It is time and advisable for moth ministers to discuss a strategy carefully and develop a process to the farmer in Sri Lanka a new life meeting the needs and grievances to bring expected results on regaining loss glory to make Sri Lanka the Granary of the East again soon with new technology and innovations.

Way out to be the granary of the East Again-Soon

The roadway is clear and it is our duty to implement the process with the masses who has given a clear mandate to work hard giving a clear single to the governance still not in the proper tract with a vision despite the educated and committed young and matured ever prepared to work. This opportunity is final and if it is missed the results are bound to be disastrous. We are full of scientists, agriculturists, educationists, strategists, who are still idling criticizing each other without coming forward with a vision and a programmer, based on their knowledge and experiences, and it is time for the leaders to harness the experiences and knowledge of the academics, professionals and all other wanting a Change. Author could be contacted on sarathdw28@gmail.com (https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=97fa7fc339&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r-5179345186687067377&th=18c489b559705391&view=att&disp=inline&realattid=f_lpwdrip30&zw ) ( law and impact 23.11.2006 telegraph/12.3.18 web/FT during festive season/5.10.21 web case of a consumer ombudsman/ consume law impact web/jan2 .23 telegraph and many more by browsing net against the authors name and subject)