Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-01-24

Importation of quality seeds for enhancing the productivity of Local Big Onion production

- At present, 65% to 70% of the local big onion seed requirement needed for the consumption in the country is imported annually. Therefore, priority has been accorded to enhance the production of big onion under the Food Production National Programme 2016-2018 and to achieve the purpose, high yielding seed varieties have to be introduced to enhance the yield per unit of land. Although, the annual requirement of big onion in the country is approximately 40,000 kg., only a half of it is produced locally. The balance is imported by the private sector of which some draw backs have been reported with regard to the quality of such imported big onions. As such, the proposal made by Hon. Duminda Dissanayake, the Minister of Agriculture, to import 6,200 kg. of high quality seeds from the 'National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation' which is a Research Institution of the Indian Government and fulfil the local need of the big onions, was approved by the Cabinet.