‘Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu’ drive :

Colombo district makes considerable contribution

Shirley Wijesinghe

The Colombo district has considerably contributed to the “Api Wawamu Rata Nagamu” agricultural development drive launched by the Agriculture and Agrarian Services Development Ministry last year by cultivating 2,400 fallow lands. According to sources at the Western Provincial Agricultural Ministry, around 1,900 acres of fallow lands were brought under paddy cultivation and a further 200 acres utilized for additional crop cultivation. Re-planting of rubber and coconut has not seen a considerable development. Sources added that 51 small scale irrigation projects have been completed.

More than 145,000 people will benefit from the project. Accordingly, Farmer Awareness Programs introduced by the Ministry on applying compost fertilizer for vegetable cultivation in the Colombo district has been successful.

Due to the high demand for vegetables free of artificial fertilizer in urban areas , farmers now grow more organic vegetables. As a result over 100 acres of bare land has been converted to organic vegetable cultivated lands.