(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –The Ministry of Agriculture has established a peanut cultivationasb zone in Mullaitivu district in order to produce sufficient groundnut to meet the needs without importing.
The 200-acre peanut cultivation zone has been set up centering the Oddusudan Muthiyankattu and Ganeshanapuram areas under the nationwide agriculture development program “We grow-We eat” at a cost of Rs. 50 million.
Although peanuts are cultivated in Sri Lanka, the harvest is not sufficient to meet the needs and 4000 metric tons of peanuts are currently imported from India. The country has spent Rs. 703 million in 2017 for peanuts imports.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, a peanut farmer can earn an annual income of Rs. 420,000.
Under the Agriculture Modernization program, the government has allocated Rs. 950 million for the development of agriculture in the district until 2020.
In parallel to the launching of the project, agricultural equipment were also distributed to the farmer families.
