WEB DESK
Sri Lanka’s agriculture ministry has planned to increase the paddy yield per hectare to 5.5 Metric Tonnes from the current 3.5 Metric Tonnes over the next 10 years. The Ministry stated that attention had been paid to expand paddy cultivation by targeting every aspect such as seed production, soil testing, effective use of organic and chemical fertilisers, introduction of new technology to paddy cultivation, marketing and preservation of crops, and use of insecticides and herbicides.~ zone.
Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector, mainly paddy cultivation, suffered a major setback since April 2021, with a ban on use of chemical fertiliser. Since then, many farmers were reported to have abandoned cultivating their fields, and the same has resulted in the fall of harvests in at least two cultivating seasons. The said ban was lifted in November 2021, and fertiliser has since been supplied to farmers, amid the issues which have arisen due to the prevailing economic crisis.