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An Analysis Of Cropping Intensities In The Paddy Sector Of Sri Lanka, Piyasiri Wickramasekara

PIYASIRI WICKRAMASEKARA

Achievement of self-sufficiency in rice has been the avowed objective of almost all planning exercises in Sri Lanka since independence. The strategy for increasing paddy production has emphasised expansion of cultivated area as well as promotion of land productivity. Expansion of cultivated area could be achieved by bringing new land under cultivation and increasing the intensity of cropping on already cultivated land. The importance of the latter method has been recognised since the fifties but the actual achievements have been rather marginal. The rising cost of land development in recent years has highlighted the importance of this option. The objective …