The Agriculture and Plantation Industries Ministry implemented a project to cultivate maize for animal feed using the land of the Polonnaruwa Kandakadu Farm belonging to the National Livestock Development Board (NLDB).
But for this purpose, as well as giving the environmental assessment report, there is an elephant pass in a part of the farm, and there are places with archaeological values in some places.
Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera instructed the NLDB to prepare an environmental assessment report regarding the Kandakadu Farm Plantation Project by drawing attention to these facts. NLDB Chairman Prof. H. A. Cyril handed over the Environment Impact Assessment Report prepared by an expert panel regarding the proposed Kandakadu Agricultural Development project to the Minister.
A discussion on this project was held in the Agriculture Ministry chaired by the Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister recently, and the officials of the Land, Mahaweli Ministries, as well as the NLDB officials, and the farmers participating in the cultivation of maize in the Kandakadu farm participated.
According to this report, it has been decided to maintain the parts reserved for wild elephants and places of archaeological value as they are, and not to use those areas for cultivation. Also, this environmental report has given necessary approval for the cultivation of maize without any harm to the environmental.
According to the instructions given in the environmental assessment report, steps should be taken to start cultivation.
“We use the harvest of this maize crop for animal feed. One of the reasons for the increase in the price of milk, eggs and poultry in the past was the shortage of animal feed and the increase in prices. But if we grow the amount of maize we need, there is no problem”, the Minister said. He instructed officials to start maize cultivation in the Yala Season without delay.
