Kundasale farm a money spinner

By A. G. Wickremasinghe

The Agricultural Department farm at Kundasale the only one of its kind here, is earning profits through its seed producing division where plants are budded in its nursery successfully and sold, raising as much as Rs. 2.5 million, Department sources said.

There was a big demand for budded plants of fruit varieties like mango, guava, butterfruit and jak. Farm manager W.Wimaladasa said the farm is 74 hectares in extent of which a 60 hectare area produced seed.

He said the demand for tomato, cucumber, ladies fingers, bitter gourd and snake gourd plants is high. Cowpea, soya bean and cadjunut and fruits like oranges and rambuttan are other varieties which are seeded.

Fruit varieties like mango, orange, butter fruit and rambuttan are sold for Rs 120 per plant while a jak plant is also sold for the same price. The Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JAICA) has supplied the Department with three seed drying machines worth nearly Rs. 10 million, Mr. Wimaladasa said.