The Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry has allocated Rs.15 million to expand fruit cultivation for local consumption and export drive. The Ministry is hopeful of producing 1 million MT of fruits by 2010 which will be reach self-sufficiency in fruit consumption. The government and private sector lands utilized to cultivate small and medium-scale food crops will be used for fruit cultivation expansion and even tea, rubber and coconut lands will also be used to cultivate fruit.

Medical experts have recommended that the consumption of fresh fruits could create a healthy human society and each person’s diet must contain at least 112 grams of fruit, the Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry said.

The Advisor to Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry A.H.L.Somathilaka told The Island Financial Review that under the concept of Api-Wawamu Rata-Nagamu Programme the Agriculture Ministry had shouldered a heavy responsibility to increase the productivity of all food crops. The food crops that could yield better harvest for local consumption and export markets would be prioritized.

He said that the per capita consumption of fruit was 40 grams, but medical experts had recommended that each person should consume at least 112 grams of fruit in one’s diet. About 55 varieties of fruits could be found in Sri Lanka and of 55 kinds of fruits around 25 varieties could be considered as food crops.

Somathilaka pointed out that of 55 varieties of fruits the Ministry had selected 11 kinds of fruits as major and important fruit varieties for further expansion. Pineapple, mango, avocado, banana, jak, pomegranate, papaw, grape, mangostine, rabutan, oranges, mandarin, lemon would be cultivated in large-scale in order to reach self-sufficiency in fruits.

He said that the Ministry had identified a number of problems involved in the expansion of fruit cultivation. One problem was the limited number of both large-scale and medium-scale lands where only banana and pineapple could be cultivated successfully and the shortage of quality seedlings. The other reason was the production of fruits would be limited to only one season of the year. Waste, lack of modern technology in fruit storage, lack of transport facilities, weak organization of marketing facilities and lack of advanced distribution network for fruit had been identified as impediments.

Somathilaka outlined that the Ministry had drawn up a plan to utilize government and private sector land used for food crops cultivation and special attention would be focused to expand the seedlings farms across the country. In this programme all State and private sectors seeds and seedlings farms would be streamlined to increase the seed production.

He added that the Ministry had also decided to transfer modern technology to would-be fruit cultivators and awareness programmes on the use of modern technology for fruit cultivation would be provided to farmers and interested parties free of charge. The Ministry would encourage small and medium-scale fruit cultivators to set up fruit production factories and would consider to grant special subsidy to cultivators. The Ministry was also considering the provision of bank loans to fruit cultivators to improve their cultivations.

According to the Agriculture and Agrarian Services Ministry, a data bank comprising future plans and organizations in fruit cultivation, areas earmarked for cultivation, the estimated hectares allocated, production commencement and season, information on potential export markets will be introduced to facilitate the fruit cultivation programme.