• Law will be applied against unruly behaviour in wildlife parks
• Vehicles in recent controversy must be confiscated and held
• Will not need rice imports next year, local supply assured
• Govt. will provide urea at Rs. 10,000 to farmers
• Funds insufficient to honour all crop loss compensation
• Deforestation under guise of cultivation not permitted
• Relocation of some human settlements will reduce HEC
• Looking at relocating a few high-risk villages to safer areas

By Asiri Fernando The vehicles used in the recent controversial incident at the Yala National Park should be confiscated by court and held, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera said, adding that he planned to enforce a policy that a vehicle without a registered wildlife tracker could not enter the reserve. “Several suspects have been produced before courts and the judicial process is ongoing. The law must be applied,” the Minister further noted. In an interview with The Sunday Morning, Amaraweera claimed that he was confident that Sri Lanka would not need to import rice next year, as the local paddy farming community was working hard to deliver the best crop they could in 2023. However, he conceded that there were no funds available to pay compensation for some farmers who had suffered crop loss due to using organic fertiliser last year, following a change in policy.  Referring to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), Amaraweera noted that he planned to seek Cabinet approval to obtain funding to try to relocate at least a few of the high-risk villages and settlements to a safer area. “In tandem, we plan to move aggressive elephants – ones that roam without a herd – to wildlife zones away from settlements,” he added.  Following are excerpts from the interview:   The recent actions of a group of ‘VIPs’ who entered the Yala National Park caused controversy when they misused their vehicles within the reserve. The public are questioning why so-called VIPs were allowed into the park in a convoy. Does the Wildlife Department enforce the law selectively?   We have launched an inquiry into this matter and it is under investigation. I have directed the relevant authorities to mete out justice despite whoever is involved. We cannot tolerate such behaviour. As the Minister in charge of the subject, I would like to see these vehicles confiscated by the courts and held. Several suspects have been produced before courts and the judicial process is ongoing. The law must be applied. We have also reduced the entry of vehicles. We plan to enforce a policy that a vehicle without a registered wildlife tracker cannot enter the reserve. We may have to consider curtailing that approach too. However, if that action is taken, many will be unable to visit Yala, as only registered safari jeeps will be permitted to enter.     Commenting on the above-mentioned incident, the President said he had instructed officials to ban private vehicles from the reserve and only allow registered safari vehicles to enter. How will this affect the tourism season? Will a regulatory system be initiated to prevent them from charging exorbitant prices?   Yes, this is a concern. Regulating the safari jeeps is a difficult matter for our Ministry to handle. They are the ones that bring in tourists to the wildlife reserves. We are in discussion with them on this. We will try to come to an agreement on overcharging. Charging exorbitant amounts [by safari jeeps] due to a monopoly can’t be allowed. We may have to introduce new laws regarding such a regulatory process.     With Yala season over, have adequate fertiliser and seeds been imported for the Maha season? Will the Government distribute urea at Rs. 10,000 a sack to all paddy farmers?   Yes, the Government has placed orders for all urea fertiliser that is required for the Maha cultivation season. It is sad to see some political parties fear-mongering, targeting farmers with a message that there is no fertiliser and trying to compel them to move away from farming. This is very wrong, especially when there is a crisis. No one should discourage our farmers in order to achieve their political goals.  As the Minister responsible for agriculture, I can clearly state that the required amount of urea will be provided. We are also confident that we can provide seeds. The Government, with the greatest difficulty and at loss to the State, will provide urea to all paddy farmers at Rs. 10,000 per sack. The actual cost of each sack of urea is between Rs. 15,000-20,000. However, we will provide it at Rs. 10,000 to paddy farmers.  When we were in Opposition and Ranil Wickremesinghe was in Government, we criticised his lack of commitment towards the agrarian economy. However, today, I am happy to see that he is very keen on agriculture. He has been very supportive of our recommendations.  Further, on the supply of urea, we plan to continue supporting organic farming. Funding has been allocated to provide 30% of the fertiliser requirement in the form of organic fertiliser, which is now being manufactured to better standards. Its use is up to the farmer; we won’t force them to obtain or use it, they can do so voluntarily. That programme will be managed through a committee headed by the district secretary, which will include farmer community leaders and others. By the next Yala season, we plan to provide a significant quantity of TSP fertiliser to paddy farmers as well. TSP is not required across the island; next year its primary need will be in the Batticaloa and Ampara regions. We have issued a tender for TSP supply and did so after securing funds for it. Therefore, from next Yala season, we can provide TSP – also known locally as ‘mada pohora’ – free of charge to farmers. For the upcoming Maha season, we plan to issue 157 kg of urea per hectare used for paddy cultivation. We will also provide MOP.     Your predecessor said that the State would provide compensation to farmers who suffered crop loss from using organic fertiliser. What is being done about it? Will the Agrarian Insurance Board pay full compensation?   The Insurance Board is making payments to all paddy farmers who lost their entire crop. That is ongoing and will continue. The previous Minister had stated that a payment would be made for those who suffered a reduction in crops. However, when I took over the Ministry, no funds had been allocated for that purpose. It had been discussed at the (previous) Cabinet level. However, given the current economic crisis and the state of Government revenue, we can’t make such payments in the immediate future. Our Ministry has also made similar requests from the Treasury, but I don’t think we can manage to make such compensation payments immediately. It is considering such issues that the Government decided to absorb the cost and provide urea at Rs. 10,000 a sack. Further, some farmers are being given a Rs. 20,000 assistance facility.  Additionally, the World Bank and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have come forward to provide fertiliser free of charge to nearly 185,000 farmers whom they have identified as deserving. Many of them are below the poverty line and/or small-scale farmers.  Further, China will be providing Sri Lanka with 7.5 million litres of diesel free of charge to be used for agricultural purposes.     Will the Government continue to provide a controlled price for paddy purchasing?     Yes, we will. We will continue that process. However, with fertiliser and fuel being provided, the cost of production will also come down. That may lower the price of rice in the market. I am of the view that by next year, we won’t need to import any more rice to Sri Lanka. I am confident that our farmers can deliver all the rice we need for consumption next year. The Ministry is also gradually improving the State granary facilities. We are planning for a bumper stock next year.    We are also planning to increase the land used for cultivation of maize. The poultry and animal husbandry industry is facing a shortage of maize which is a key ingredient for animal feed. The Ministry has decided to increase maize cultivation, which at present is only grown on 17,000 hectares, to a figure close to 50,000 hectares next year. We will work with several international aid agencies and work towards this goal. Maize and others like green gram will help improve Sri Lanka’s food security situation next year.   There are allegations of large-scale deforestation in the Hambantota District in the guise of chena cultivation. What action has the Ministry taken regarding this illegal act?    The Ministry is aware of two locations in the district where the forest has been cleared and has initiated action with law enforcement agencies to stop this from happening. However, what has been reported is not a large-scale clearing; the forestry service and Police will enforce the law regarding this. We also have to be mindful of two key issues; at present, there is a need to grow more food due to the food crisis. With the high cost of food and shortage of some foods, the public is under pressure. As a Government, we have and are doing all we can to help the farmers and growers get the best crop yield possible from the Maha cultivation season. However, that is not an excuse to go about clearing forests and felling trees. That cannot be permitted either. We know some local politicians are involved in such activity – not only in the Hambantota District – but we will enforce the law strictly. There are some issues with the recently-gazetted forestry land, where some areas that had been used for paddy farming, some of which had been farmed by villagers for two decades, have been demarcated as forestry land overnight. This situation is common in Monaragala. As a compromise, we have directed officials to allow farmers to farm on such land that has been used for a prolonged period, for a short time period, like six months or a year. However, such approvals come with strict conditions of not felling any trees.  The Ministry has also proposed that selected farmers gain the use of such lands for one or two crop seasons in Monaragala and be tasked with carrying out reforestation duties. Through such an incentive we can also help some of the deforested areas to begin recovery by the time the farmers end their use of the paddy lands.   The President has highlighted the need to improve forest coverage in Sri Lanka. What steps will your Ministry take to make that happen?   Yes, Sri Lanka’s forest coverage has reduced to 29.2%. We as a country have pledged to increase that to 30% in the near future. The Department of Forest Conservation has already prepared a plan to address this issue.  Given the ongoing crisis, the Ministry is planning to explore the possibility of growing trees that bear edible fruits in unused State lands as a measure to address both issues. This way, we can improve tree cover, reduce topsoil erosion, and have more food which is accessible to the people in the neighbourhood. We are considering jackfruit, breadfruit, durian, lime, mango, and others. Such cultivation may also divert wild animals entering settlements and suburbs in search of food.  I am not aware of any particular region where forest cover is declining at an alarming rate. We will not allow that to happen. Traditionally, it is the major infrastructure development projects which have caused significant deforestation and loss of habitat. From Mahaweli to Moragahakanda, projects have adversely affected the forest space needed for our wildlife, elephants in particular. Most of these projects have either cut through elephant paths and passes or denied them access to grazing land that they have roamed for millennia. That is also a concern when building highways, expressways, conference halls, etc.  As a Ministry, we want to see a break in that trend. We want to reclaim some land for the forests. Over the last year or so, over 1,000 acres of unutilised land was gazetted as forestry land by new circulars.   The Human-Elephant Conflict erupted again last week, with distraught villages turning on the Police. As Minister of Wildlife, what will you do to end or mitigate the conflict?    Humans have occupied the lands which should be reserved for elephants and other wildlife. We have even encroached on lands which we have demarcated as grazing lands for elephant herds. Elephants also return to areas that they have roamed before.  Sri Lanka has tried to contain the problem by building nearly 4,000 km of electrified fencing, but it hasn’t given good results. The elephants adapt and find a way to breach the fences. The Ministry has tasked the Wildlife Department to formulate a better strategy with local and international expert consultation. The report should be ready within three months. Once the recommendations are approved, we plan to enact them within the next two years. Even the President is keen on not leaving this issue unresolved to be dealt with by a future administration.  We are also trialling a layer barrier concept, with one or more types of obstacles placed to protect high-risk villages. This can be a combination of the electrified fence, a ditch, and/or a type of thorny vegetation which elephants shun. These trials will commence soon. We want to address this issue, so that it will not continue to hurt communities or wildlife in the future. We are also in the early stages of discussing the possibility of relocating some of the villages that have been built obstructing elephant corridors. This is a complicated matter. We need to plan it carefully and it will need funding. If we are to convince people to uproot from where they are and move to a new, safer location, we need to provide them a better place to move to.  I plan to seek Cabinet approval to get funding to try to relocate at least a few of the high-risk villages and settlements to a safer area. In tandem, we plan to move aggressive elephants – ones that roam without a herd – to wildlife zones away from settlements.