Purpose

This field day was conducted based on the following 3 objectives.

1. Sharing the field and management experience gained in the Polonnaruwa farm with the farmers.
2. Educate the public about basic seed production
3. To educate the public about the contribution of the Polonnaruwa Seed Production Farm to local agriculture

School students, farmers and officials were informed about the following matters.

1. Plant Nursery – Transplantation, preparation of soil mixtures, maintenance of plants etc.
2. Supplementary Food Crop Cultivation – Presentation on additional food crop varieties, characteristics of varieties and techniques used in seed production.
3. Vegetable Cultivation – Presentation on okra, cucumber, eggplant seed production.
4. Organic Fertilizer Production – Demonstration of organic fertilizer production methods, introduction of equipment used, etc
5. Paddy Cultivation – Presenting facts about the 18 foundation varieties and 16 registered varieties produced by Polonnaruwa Seed Production Farm. Principles of seed paddy production and varietal characteristics were presented.
6. Mechanical Section – Display of various types of equipment used in farming like ploughs, tractors, planters, weeding equipment, seed and paddy harvesting equipment.

Participation

• Students studying agriculture science in Polonnaruwa district in general level and advanced level
• Farmers, farmer organizations, cooperative societies and companies engaged in seed production.
• Officers of Seed and Planting Development Center Head Office, Regional Office and Farms.
• Public and private sector officials of Polonnaruwa district dealing with agriculture industry.
• Officers of other sections of the Department of Agriculture.