By Ifham Nizam
Keeri Samba, cultivated for the first time in the Hambantota district’s Matigathwela area, has been very successful, said a senior official of the Agriculture and Plantation Industries Ministry.
The official said that growing Keeri Samba paddy for the first time on 100 acres at Agunakolapalassa in the Matigathwala area had given a boost to similar initiatives countrywide.
Keeri Samba cultivation was surveyed earlier this week by Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.
“At present, Samba and Nadu rice and paddy have exceeded the national requirement in our country, but there is a shortage of Keeri Samba rice. The reason is that farmers were not motivated to grow Keeri Samba rice in the 2022 season. Due to this, there was a huge shortage of Keeri Samba in the country, the minister said.
The minister added: “Because of this, the government took steps to import some other rice variety as an alternative to Keeri Samba.
“Keeri Samba is an entirely indigenous paddy variety. Keeri Samba produced by Batalegoda Rice Research Institute, called BG-360, is currently the most popular type of rice in Sri Lanka.
“At present, among the rice verities here, the type of rice with the highest demand is Keeri Samba. That’s why the Department of Agriculture says that 80,000 hectares of Keeri Samba have been planted this Maha season. A paddy harvest of at least 350,000 metric tons is expected from that cultivation.
“Keeri Samba has a high demand and at present there is plenty of Samba and Nadu rice as well as paddy in the country.
“We will get a big paddy harvest this Maha season. A large quantity of Keeri Samba has been cultivated this year. But in order to provide a supply that matches the demand, we need to further expand the cultivation of Keeri Samba. By the next Maha season, we will expand Keeri Samba cultivation in about 500 hectares of paddy fields in the Hambantota district.
“Keeri Samba was not grown during any season before in the Hambantota district. For the first time, 100 acres were cultivated this time. It is very successful. These farmers are very happy. They can get a yield of more than 110 bushels of paddy per acre.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and the government will provide all possible support to the farmers for the further expansion of Keeri Samba cultivation.
“In the Hambantota district, the most cultivated variety was At 362, which has the highest paddy yield. It is a local rice variety introduced by the Ambalantota Rice Research Institute.”