Sri Lanka: Minister makes potato cultivation lands exclusive
Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera advised the Ministry officials not to use potato cultivation lands to grow other crops or to set up constructions.
There are only a few limited lands for cultivating potato in the country including lands in Welimada, Nuwara Eliya and Jaffna. Due to the quality of potatoes in the country, there is a higher demand for them than for imported potatoes. If other crops are planted, there is a possibility of diseases occurring in these lands.
In 2023, 4,581 hectares of potatoes will be cultivated in the spring, 2,700 and 1,881 hectares in the high season. A harvest of 14,400 metric tonnes is expected. However, another 154,000 metric tonnes of potatoes have to be imported.
The country’s annual potato requirement is 230,000 metric tonnes.
Fuente: https://dailynews.lk/2023/02/18/local/297653/minister-makes-potato-cultivation-lands-exclusive
