BY RUWAN LAKNATH JAYAKODY - Ceylon Today
The government must take action to intervene to lease out
underutilized land of the private sector, the Sri Lanka Organization of
Agricultural Professionals (SLOAP) said.
The SLOAP noted however that the government should not
take-over such lands.
Highlighting the need for combining lands with other crops
in view of maximizing production per unit area, President of the SLOAP and
Professor in Animal Science at the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of
Peradeniya, Prof. H. W. Cyril added that more than 90% of the Coconut Triangle
which included thousands of acres was underutilized with only few sightings of
fruit (like pineapple) cultivation being seen. These areas and lands in Negombo
and marshy land in Muthurajawela have very good pasture required to raise
cattle, sheep, goats and other livestock and would also provide an additional
income, he observed.
As such lands have enough water, aquaculture farming can be
promoted but there is neither any research being done into the matter nor any
programme to promote such type of farming, he explained.
"Land is limited. If there is any land available, the
first priority is always to cultivate paddy. This is the lazy man's crop as
after planting and until harvesting starts when there is a lot of work, he/she
only visits the land once or twice a week. There is no productive work done in
the interim period, whereas in the case of livestock, there is daily work.
What about alternative crops for lands unsuitable for paddy?
We should not want to use these lands solely for traditional crops. Plants that
grow in water like filter plants and reeds, from which alternatives for
synthetic mats can be produced naturally, can be grown. Areas with an abundance
of water can be converted to ponds to farm freshwater fish," Prof. Cyril
opined.
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