The Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agriculture have initiated a ten-year plan to promote rice cultivation in the country.
It is planned to increase the rice yield per hectare to 4.5 Metric Tons (MTs) within next three years, to 5.2 Metric Tons in 5 years and to 5.5 Metric Tons in 10 years. The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the paddy yield per hectare in the 2022/23 Season was 3.1 metric tons.
The amount of paddy harvested per hectare in the country was at a higher rate of 4.1 to 4.5 Metric Tons prior to the 2021 Maha Season. The main reason that can be attributed is the provision of all types of chemical fertilizers to farmers. During the 2021 Maha Season, the paddy yield per hectare dropped to 2.1 metric tons with the decision to ban the import of chemical fertilizers.Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the Government’s decision to provide chemical fertilizers again from the 2022 Yala Season, has resulted an increase in the yield to 3.1 metric tons per acre.
The Minister said that the introduction of new rice cultivation techniques such as chemical fertilizers together with high quality seeds and the implementation of the parachute method will increase the rice yield for which the Government will provide the necessary support. The Minister of Agriculture also stated that the Department of Agricultural Development will cultivate 13,000 acres under the parachute system during the 2023/24 Season and provide free discs for paddy planting to every paddy farmer.
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