Remarkable Surge in Agricultural Exports in First Half of 2024 - Agriculture Secretary

Colombo (News 1st): Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, B.L.A.J. Dharmakeerthi, highlighted a significant resurgence in the agricultural export sector during the first half of 2024, surpassing performance in the preceding two years. He attributed this growth to decisive actions taken to counter the decline in agricultural export earnings observed in 2023 compared to 2022.

Addressing the press briefing titled “Two Years of Progress and Advancement” at the Presidential Media Centre yesterday (15), Secretary Dharmakeerthi underscored the remarkable achievement of this progress despite challenging climatic conditions in the agricultural sector in recent times. He elaborated that proactive measures implemented during 2023 facilitated substantial sector growth in the initial six months of 2024.

Secretary Dharmakeerthi emphasized that these advancements were particularly noteworthy given adverse weather conditions, describing these developments as a significant triumph.

During the briefing, Secretary Dharmakeerthi provided specific examples of the sector’s recovery. For instance, tea exports surged from USD 407.6 million in April 2023 to USD 450.5 million in April 2024. Similarly, coconut exports rose from USD 212 million to USD 263 million over the same period. Rubber exports also showed robust growth, climbing from USD 299 million to USD 335 million by April 2024. Additionally, cinnamon export income increased from USD 53.3 million to USD 56.1 million, while pepper export income rose from USD 13.3 million to USD 14.0 million during the corresponding period.

The agricultural sector, known for its volatile nature, faced challenges last season due to decreased tea production, leading to heightened demand for fertilizers. Responding swiftly, a special program was launched to ensure an adequate supply of fertilizers. As part of this initiative, arrangements were made to subsidize fertilizer costs by Rs.2000 per 50 kg bag. Currently, 10,000 metric tons of tea fertilizer has been distributed to growers, with plans underway to allocate the remaining 20,000 metric tons through collaboration with tea factory owners and other stakeholders.

In efforts to bolster tea production, a subsidy project supporting replanting and new cultivation across 745 hectares has been on-going since 2022, with Rs.140 million disbursed to 324 growers thus far. Additionally, a new initiative has commenced in 2024 to plant 800,000 tea saplings, backed by an allocation of Rs.60 million.

Under the financial oversight of the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the Small Tea Estate Development Authority is set to implement a direct tea cultivation project, with Rs.750 million earmarked for this purpose.

Currently, coconut shell and coconut-related products have contributed equally to foreign income as coconut milk products. In 2022, coconut-related exports generated a record income of USD 817 million. Despite a decline in coconut production in 2023 due to whitefly disease, effective regulatory and control measures ensured a country income of USD 700 million. As of April 2024, earnings reached USD 263.06 million, marking a 24% increase compared to the previous year.

In terms of rubber cultivation, new plantings covered 921 hectares in 2022 and 2023, while replanted areas spanned 2,743 hectares. Plans for 2024 include cultivating 1,135 hectares of rubber, with 605 hectares newly planted and 415 hectares replanted. A provision of Rs.149 million has been allocated for supplying necessary plants for this expansion. Starting from 2023, the department discontinued the previous rubber cultivation subsidy system, opting instead to provide free plants as subsidies to growers.