Eastern Provincial Minister of Agriculture Dr. Thuraiappah Navaratnarajah said that farmers in the East were happy that for the first after several decades after the times of late Mahamanya DS when production was 25% and slided down to 16% later the Eastern province had been able to retain part of its old glory as Granary of the East having a bumper harvest of 35 % of Countrys paddy production this Maha season.

We who have been purchasing urea fertilizer at Rs 7300 a bag and giving it at a subsidised price of Rs 350 to farmers in the past are to put forward a economic proposal to the central Government to give the money as an incentive to farmers this forthcoming Yala season so that the majority could convert to Organic farming

This could not have been achieved if not for putting an additional 131,000 acres of underutilised land that had not been used for past 4 to 5 years for any cultivation including 49,000 acres of land that was barren over several decades as a result of the conflict to good use last Maha season following on the heels of the liberation of the Province .

He said that that as one cannot expect the government do everything alone and should the international community donors INGOs etc. come foward to grant a little more assistance than what they gave at present to the Eastern Province he would be willing to take up challenge to ensure that the province regained its old glory by exporting surplus stocks of Organic rice abroad by the Maha season of 2010 -2011 we would be exporting over 300,000 metric tons of organic rice.

If not for advice and assistance in every sort of way offered by Senior Presidential advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa who remained constantly in the province for over three months during last maha cultivation to promote and grant resources under the Naganehira Navodaya programme under the Mahinda Chinthanaya and assistance of UN agencies and INGOs such a record harvest could not have been achieved .

The Provincial Council made an announcement that we were willing to buy paddy at Government prices Nadu 18.50 to 19.00 Rs and Samba at Rs 23 to 24 but we had no problem as warehouse or storage problems as private Traders were buying up Nadu for Rs 28 and Samba for Rs 30 to 32 a kilo of paddy

He said that earlier 3 to 4 months were spent for harvesting but this time the farmers of Amparai and Batticaloa were able to sell their paddy which was harvested in arecord time utilizing the US product of John Deere tractors with Indian Bulkar combined harvesters which was presently being used by the farmers of Trincomalee to carry out their harvest.

The Provincial Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Dr.Thuraiappah Navaratnarajah said that as the water levels of tanks in the Province were greatly reduced and if expected rains did not materialize within the next fortnight an alternate solution had been planned to cultivate all the high lands with Maize,green gram,soya beans and cowpea etc.