Crop Diversification in the Asia-Pacific region - United Nations in ...

Total export of fruits was around 7,000 Mt in 1999 and the total production ofvegetables has been estimated to be 554,641 Mt in 1999. Table 3 shows that Sri Lankaimports mainly grapes and oranges.Table 4. Production of Export Crops in 1999Crop Production(Mt)Coffee 2422Cocoa 1538Cinnamon Bark 11503Leaf oil 139Pepper 4557Cloves 1902Cardamom 70Citronella oil 108Nutmeg 1335Source: Central Bank Reports 1999The total land area under export crops was 91,106 ha and the total earnings reachedRs. 11,598 Million in 1999.3. PATTERNS OF CROP DIVERSIFICATIONCrop diversification in the country has taken place in different agro-ecologicalsettings. The governing factors behind this diversification in each setting were different andfurthermore, the diversification occurs independently in different agro-ecological regions indifferent time periods. The major agro-ecological settings where crop diversification hasbeen achieved can be identified as follows:a) Low country Dry zone - Major Irrigation schemes.b) Low country Dry zone - Minor irrigation schemes.c) Up, mid and low country Intermediate zones - Anicut schemes and rainfed rice fields.d) Low country wet zone - Wetland rice fields.e) Mid country - Marginal tea and rubber lands.3.1 Crop Diversification in Major Irrigation SchemesMost of the planning for irrigation schemes took place in the latter part of the 1950’sand in the 1960’s. A large extent of land was opened for irrigated cropping with theimplementation of these plans. Rice varieties with high yielding ability and better agronomicpractices for rice cultivation were also developed in the same period and as a result, riceproduction was expected to surpass the level of self-sufficiency. In order to overcome apossible saturation of rice production, the government planned to introduce cropdiversification to the major irrigation schemes. In addition, they realized the importance ofcultivating non-rice crops to obtain the best returns from the resources such as land andwater. The new irrigation systems were designed with facilities for irrigation managementfor crop diversification. Land terrain was developed to cultivate non-rice crops in well116