IMPORTING COCONUT ILLEGAL SAY FARMERS

IN 2014 RS.15.15 BILLION WAS LOST DUE TO THE IMPROPER IMPORT OF RICE

The import of coconut was an illegal process and the Government should be held responsible, the National Organiser of the All Ceylon Farmers’ Federation (ACFF) Namal Karunarathne claimed at a special media meeting held on Friday (08) in Dambulla.

“The shortage of coconut is due to a decline in coconut yield caused by Mita pest spread across the country, that was imported from foreign countries. The import of coconut is illegal under the pest quarantine section of the Plant Protection Act,” he claims.

“During the tenure of the last Government a shipment of coconut reached Sri Lanka but that shipment was destroyed before being unloaded and recently another shipment of coconut was brought to the port and amid protests that shipment was also sent back,” Namal Karunarathne further explained.

“It would not be a wonder if the Government tends to import vegetable as previous Government imported grass,” he said.

He also blamed the Government for import of rice, not providing fertiliser subsidy in time to the farmers and selling 50-kilo bag of fertilizer after reducing it to 40 kilos.

He charged the artificial shortage of fertiliser was due to misappropriation of public money through tender procedures.

“According to the Auditor General’s report submitted to the COPE on December 31 last year a shortage of rice over the country was not possible,” he said. “The rice harvest of last season

and the Yala season is sufficient to meet the rice requirement of the country till next April,” he said.

“The total rice in the country this year is 2.8 million metric tonnes, while the annual consumption 2. 4 million metric tonnes,” he said.

He said the auditor general’s report had stressed the importance of proper calculation of the rice stock within the country before deciding on importation.

“In 2014 Rs.15.15 billion was lost due to the improper import of rice,” he said.