Matale District SJB Parliamentarian Rohini Kaviratne yesterday said that even though the Maha season has commenced, not even half of the farming lands in this country have held seasonal meetings.
Government officials are scared to attend farmers’ meeting due to the decisions of the Government, and they are avoiding holding these meetings, she said.
She was speaking at a media briefing held in Matale yesterday.
Kaviratne said the quantity of organic fertilizer produced when compared to the overall fertilizer requirement of this country, is only 2 percent. “By trying to deceive the farmers, the entire country has been deceived as of now”, she said.
“The seasonal meetings of the large-scale irrigation projects have to be held under the patronage of Divisional Secretaries. There is an accepted method and a tradition of holding small meetings. Not even half of the Maha season meetings have been held as of now,” she said.
Kaviratne said a State Minister had said that fertilizer will be provided for maize cultivation. “That minister is
unaware that prior to fertilizer, the maize cultivation requires weedicides.”
“There are nine ministers connected to agriculture. None of them can go among farmers and hold a meeting,” she said.
“Now, these people are not cultivating on the earth but the internet. Not only politicians, but, Government officials cannot approach farmers. Every seasonal meeting ended in conflict. Not only farmers but government officials are helpless today due to the mistakes of the government.
Without providing the agro-chemicals required for lands that have been cultivated as of now, a farmers’ meeting cannot be held in a village. Everywhere you go, farmers are engaged in protests asking for fertilizer. Many farmers of Matale have given up paddy farming and taken to cultivating sweet potatoes. That is because these do not require chemicals and fertilizers.”
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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