'Grape Farms in Jaffna (Sri Lanka)\r'

'The expiry art of Jaffna â€Å"The next coevals is not subtile on getting their give dirty and they loathe hard work. They do not want to win up the field of put forwarding. They choose being in air conditioned offices or being doctors and lawyers. They pick out dreams of their own and being a word of mouth farmer is hardly one of them” For thirty long old age Sri Lanka was torn a dissipate by a vicious contend between the country’s mass and minority; a war that not lonesome(prenominal) claimed the lives of some, soldiers and civilians a wish, only when also destroyed much belongings and dammed the country’s growth in uncountable ship canal.The hale of Sri Lanka grieved as one at all that was broken but it would not be incorrect to opine that it was the north that suffered the most; it affected the education, economy, health, security, agriculture and boilers suit the lives of the people of that part of the island. One slyness that was la te affected in the field of agriculture is pipeline agriculture, an industriousness that was and is carried out at a commercial-grade basis only in the district of Jaffna. It was say by Mr. Sivakumar, Provincial Director of floriculture northern Province, that before the war the district of Jaffna had over 250 solid ground of grape vine vine cultivation.The war brought upon difficulties in marketing the crops which resulted in gradually increasing follows of farmers leaving the flock as it was no longer profitable. However since the stopping point of the war and the opening of the A9 road, red-hot marketing prospects chip in been found and the trade has yet again been interpreted up and currently is spread over cx acres in Jaffna. While cultivators who wooly their farms during the war cod been granted the opportunity to revive their lost businesses, new cultivators too are being further to take up the trade by the government activity said Mr.Sivakumar. The Ministr y of Agriculture Northern Province is currently focusing on introducing new varieties of grape harvest-tide to Jaffna farmers in order to harvest better crops. These new varieties Sonaka and Sharad have been import from India and are said to constitute grape fruit that is larger in surface of it and sweeter than the local grapes. This idea of importing new varieties has been support by the Central Department of Agriculture which is the mission that gives permission for importing any sort of plant material, and also by the Ministry of Agriculture.The financial support has been given by Cargills food city as it is them who invested in the project. The total project investment has been Rs 222 million and 92. 2 million of this investment has been shared by the USAID. The merchandise seedlings have already been introduced, distributed and promoted among Jaffna farmers and is currently being well-bred and within an some other two socio-economic classs the peninsula go away have a greater variety of caliber grape fruit, noted Mr. U. L. M Haldeen, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Northern Province.Grape crops are harvested twice a year; during the chasten of March- April and August- September. These are considered peak periods as it is the run dry season during these months and for grape fruit the dry season is considered very important as this is the time that produces the stovepipe crops. However certain farmers prune in such a way that they discharge produce crops nonetheless(prenominal) off season. Grape cultivation, compared to other farming industries needs a fair amount of investment and endeavour to inaugurate and to maintain. To grow a tie acre farm it be approximately 150 one thousand Rs undecomposed to install the pandal system.For the maintaining of such a farm it be about other 150 thousand Rs declared Mr. Sivakumar. Even though it is a costly trade it brings in enough money to be called a profitable trade. Farmers have re ported that a quarter acre farm brings in nearly 200 thousand Rs per season. This intimately income is one of the main encouraging forces for other cultivators to begin grape farms of their own which in reverberation will increase the overall crops produced by Jaffna which would prove to be healthy for the economy of the district.On a affirmatory note, locally grown grapes are cheaper than the merchandise ones as a kg of Jaffna grape fruit costs 200 to 300 Rs while the Australian imported grapes cost 600 to 700 Rs. However on the contrary the imported grapes are much larger in size and taste sweeter than the locally grown Israel Blue. Therefore, even now, customers who behavior for quality are unbidden to pay more to purchase the imported fruits, which pose a holy terror to the growth of the local grape fruit farming trade. This is the reason as to why he ministry is difficult all mathematical options to grow grape crops that can compete with the imported ones. As there is already a fairly good market for Jaffna grapes in the southern part of the country it is their hope to divulge this market by dominating the imported grape fruit market. As earlier mentioned maintaining a grape farm is both an expensive and difficult venture. especially to the farmers of the north it is something much more than just a trade, it is a significant part of their lives. They have numerous beliefs and traditions entwined with the grapevines.It is said by these farmers that growing grapes is in numerous ways much like raising a child; it requires constant nurturing, caring and attention. There is a port in which every move should be made: choosing the soil, installing the pandal system, preparing the drainage, watering the farm, fertilizing, and last but not least pruning should all be done in a proper manner to ensure the well being of the grapevines says Mr. Inuvil, a flourishing grape farmer. The preciseness of this trade makes it appear that grape farming in actu ality is more or less an art than just an agricultural trade.Even though the number of farmers stepping into this field is on an increase, according to farmers the future of the industry remains uncertain. It is because of the lack of young farmers who are willing to follow in the footsteps of their precursors. According to Mr. Inuvil â€Å"The next generation is not keen on getting their hands dirty and they dislike hard work. They do not want to take up the field of farming. They prefer being in air conditioned offices or being doctors and lawyers. They have dreams of their own and being a grape farmer is hardly one of them”, and so it seems that the â€Å"like father like son” days are long kaput(p).It is evident that times have changed and that even in a country like Sri Lanka where traditions and culture are a main part of its people’s day to day lives, the younger generation is hardly found being express by said traditions or cultures. Today’s y outh is much more commercialized and they petition ways of earning riches in much easier ways than laboring away in farms and fields below a scorching sun. Another reason for the possible declining of future farmers is the perception that agriculture is an unprofitable or oor industry to be in as this is a great deal the image that is projected by the media and otherwise, however many successful farmers like Mr. Inuwil would strongly disagree. According to him, it is a matter of willing to be hard working, committed, sacrificial and patient; all traits that he says most of the younger generation lack. Here arouses the question; even though grape farming in the north is at present in a very good state, after the existing generation of farmers is long gone will the industry still survive or will it simply turn into yet another dying art? -Sandarangi Perera\r\n'