Driver cum farmer reaps a rich harvest

A driver attached to Project Office at Dehiattakandiya in the Mahaweli ‘C’ Area has successfully cultivated thirty varieties of items such as vegetables, fruits, flowers and medicinal herbs on a 20perch block of land at his residence located near the Mahaweli Office in Dehiattakandiya.

The driver K.G. Premachandra (50) had been regularly engaging in cultivation activities in the past and won the first place prize at the “Best Premises Cultivation Competition” that was organised by the Mahaweli Authority held during the 2007 – 2008 Maha Season under the government’s programme to encourage agricultural excellance named “Api Wavamu, Rata Nagamu,” which earned him a cash prize of Rs.100,000 as well.

He however was modest about his achievements and said that he did not engage in this type of activity to win anything but to keep himself busy and as a hobby. Many vegetable varieties such as bitter gourd, chillies, tomatoes, okra, snake gourd, capsicum, cabbage, and fruits such as bananas, pineapples, pomegranate, papaya, and leaves such as gotukola and mukunuwenna etc, that were in season were seen growing in his small-sized garden.

He proudly assured us that he had never used chemical fertilizers or agro chemicals for his cultivation, adding that he wakes up every day at 5 a.m. and engages in cultivation activities for about 2

The driver K.G. Premachandra won the first place prize at the “Best Premises Cultivation Competition” that was organized by the Mahaweli Authority held during the 2007 – 2008 Maha Season

hours.He said that his wife Manjula Jayanthi Ratnayake, daughter Madushika and his son Dharshana also help him in his cultivation and to keep his garden beautiful. He confirmed that he earns an extra income of around Rs.8, 000 a month by selling the surplus of his products. He also had high praise for the enormous assistance given to him by the officers in the Project Office located in the ‘C’ Area including its Manager, I.U.K. Kumara.