The Sri Lankan agri sector badly needs more inputs of machinery to move to the next level, said Indian agricultural machinery manufacturer, Shaktiman’s Country Manager in Sri Lanka, Gajaba De Silva.
He told Sunday Observer Business, on the sidelines of Shaktiman’s annual dealer convention in Negombo, that mechanisation in Sri Lanka’s agriculture is as low as 10%.”
“This results in low output and to overcome global food production challenges and to achieve national economic goals, mechanisation in the Sri Lankan agriculture industry should be increased,” he said.
Mechanisation provides sustainable solutions to the environment-friendly quality agriculture industry where weedicides and pesticides are used minimally. For example, in the preparation of land for farming using the Shaktiman rotary machine, the soil is dug deep and the weeds in the field are suppressed due to the decay of the weeds.
“There are many advantages that can be achieved by increasing agricultural mechanisation as the process will also increase the organic value of the soil and will also provide a successful solution to the labor shortage as well. It will also create an opportunity for farmers to increase yield,” de Silva said.
He said that to fill this void for machinery Shaktiman of India is ready to improve mechanisation in Sri Lanka’s agriculture by supplying their range of machinery to Sri Lanka. “Sri Lankan agricultural sector still relies on using traditional machinery-based farming. New machinery can increase productivity and efficiency,” he said. Shaktiman manufactures and distributes 107 types of agricultural machinery to over 100 countries. About 25 of the latest products are in the final stages of research.
“Over 100 research teams are dedicated to sustainable agricultural mechanisation. Our diverse product portfolio is expanding to cater to all aspects of the crop,” Silva said.
Senior vice president Shakthiman, International Business, Shawshank Watane said that agricultural mechanism is very important for a country to progress and have future food security. “In India Agri mechanisation is around 45% but in USA it’s about 95%.”
– SS
