Killing the 'Goviya'

Yesterday 'The Island' published an article titled 'The farmer vote and the government' by Sandaruwan Mad-duma Bandara, which provided irrefutable proof that the Sri Lankan farmer is being fast destroyed by the policies of the Peoples Alliance government. The writer of the article produced statistics from the Central Bank Report for 1997 to prove the drop in the production of five main crops of our agriculture: rice, big onions, red onions, chillies and potatoes while giving cogent reasons for this tragedy.

It was pointed out that after the Peoples Alliance government was elected to office in 1994, rice production in 1995 rose to 2.68 million metric tonnes because of the continuation of the policies of the previous government. But by 1996, rice production had dropped to 2.06 million metric tonnes. Even more significant was that the area of paddy cultivation which had been 930,000 hectares in 1994 had dropped drastically to 730,00 hectares Ñ the area of paddy cultivation dropping by a stupendous 21 per cent.

It has been pointed out that the traditional 'goviya', unable to compete with imported rice is giving up the lands which his forefathers cultivated for centuries. The once lush green paddy fields are lying fallow or farmers are selling them off as building blocks. All this is because of the myopic policy of the government in reducing the import tax on rice from 35 percent to 20 percent. The argument for reduction of import tax is to protect the consumer. But as we have pointed out consistently in our editorial comments, it is disastrous to the economy in the long run. By the time the Kumaratunga government came to power this country had been on the brink of self sufficiency in rice production but now it is down to 74 percent. If this policy continues soon this country once known for its smiling paddy fields, tanks and dagabas will soon be without the green fields and without that the tanks and the dagobas and temples too will disappear. What is being destroyed is not only paddy cultivation but a part of the vital heritage of Sri Lanka.

From the early decades of this century, when the sons of the soil began to gain control of influencing government policy under the British, till 1994 the main economic thrust has been to make this country self sufficient in rice. All prime ministers and presidents Jayewardene and Premadasa toiled hard to achieve this objective. The multi billion rupee Mahaveli Diversion Scheme had twin objectives: increased production in agriculture and power. The criminal policies that are being pursued are not only killing the farmer but the environment as well.

We have consistently pointed out that countries like Japan have resisted pressure from powerful countries like the United States and protected industries and agricultural produce. Rice, the Japanese have said is a strategic product to them and have refused to budge from that position. The Japanese know too well that cheaper rice imports will only result in those lush manicured green paddies, so precious to them, also disappearing for ever.

The reduction of import taxes has also resulted in those engaged in cultivating chillies, onions and potatoes being reduced to beggary. The production of big onions had dropped from 81,400 metric tonnes in 1994 to 22, 500 metric tonnes in 1997. In red onions, government policies have resulted in a crop of 91,000 tonnes produced in 1993 dropping to 44,000 metric tonnes in 1997. Chillie cultivation - which Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike gave a tremendous boost to during her food drive in the 1970s Ñ had dropped from 40,000 metric tonnes in 1993 to 18,000 metric tonnes in 1997.

Statistics they say do not bleed. But the blood of the farmers are gushing out through the jugulars severed by the criminal import policies that are being pursued. We do not blame the Minister of Agriculture Mr. D. M. Jayaratne who had been fighting with his back to the wall to stop the poor farmer being reduced to penury by those stupid city slickers who neither care for farmers nor the countryside.

The irony of it all is that while we are driving out farmers from the fields which their fathers toiled, India from which we are importing these foods is subsidising their farmers! This is Sri Lankan inhumanity to Sri Lankans at its worst. Writer Madumma Bandara points out, that the Indian farmers are receiving government subsidies for fertiliser, agro chemicals. energy, and high yielding variety of seeds and the like.

Farmers are in a desperate plight, perhaps as never before in history. Farmers who comprise that vast majority of this country perhaps will give a fit and proper answer to those who reduced them to this plight in the near future.