Colombo (LNW): Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has directed the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Programme (SAPP) under the Agriculture Ministry to facilitate maize cultivation in three districts during this Maha season.
Starting from Friday (20), hybrid maize seeds for 40,000 acres in Hambantota, Anuradhapura, and Monaragala districts began distribution.
As part of the initiative, maize seeds were handed out at no cost at the Angunakolapelessa Agrarian Service Centre, with Minister Mahinda Amaraweera in attendance.
Last year, due to maize shortages for animal feed, production of meat, eggs, and milk faced challenges, leading to price hikes.
As a result, the government resorted to importing eggs from India. The Minister highlighted that numerous animal production farms shut down due to feed shortages.
To address this, the decision was made to amplify maize cultivation to boost animal feed production. The goal for this season is to cultivate maize on 40,000 acres through this specific project.
Farmers are set to receive the Pacific variety – a high-grade hybrid maize strain sourced from Thailand, costing 360 million rupees – free of charge, thanks to funding from the IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development).
Furthermore, 800 metric tonnes of urea fertiliser necessary for maize growth has been ordered, and it’s intended to be distributed to maize farmers at no cost.
The SAPP initiative anticipates distributing maize seeds to 10,000 farmers in the Hambantota district and 14,000 in the Anuradhapura district in the coming days.
