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Item The Uruguay Round Agreement on agriculture: implications for Sri Lanka(Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 1996) Athukorala, Prema-Chandra; Kelegama, SamanItem Policies and their Implications for the Domestic Agricultural Sector of Sri Lanka 1995-2000(Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2002) Epaarachchi, Roshen; Jayanetti, Sanath; Weliwita, AnandaItem Climate Insurance for Dry Zone Farmers in Sri Lanka: Prospects for Index Insurance(Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2019) Wickramasinghe, KanchanaItem Transforming tobacco farming in Sri Lanka:a value chain analysis(Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2023) Dissanayaka, Nimesha; Hirimuthugodage, Dilani; Thibbotuwawa, ManojTobacco cultivation was first introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Since then, significant efforts have been made to increase tobacco cultivation in the country. In 1990, approximately 0.47% of agricultural land, equivalent to 8,920 hectares (Ha), was under tobacco cultivation. However, the stimulus policy interventions granted to tobacco cultivation dropped substantially since the 1990s with the global drive against tobacco. The widespread belief is that supporting a shift from tobacco to alternative crops is essential due to its negative consequences. Tobacco cultivation has been identified as a social stigma because of the long-term impacts on the environment and livelihoods, which appear to exceed the short-term benefits such as income generation and employment creation. Further, a growing body of literature highlights the global negative consequences of tobacco cultivation, including high labour requirements for tobacco cultivation, environmental degradation, and health risks associated with leaf harvesting and leafcuringItem Policies and their Implications for the Domestic Agricultural Sector of Sri Lanka: 1995-2000(Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2002-08) Epaarachchi, Roshen; Jayanetti, Sanath; Weliwita, AnandaThis paper reviews in detail agricultural and trade policies and their implications for the domestic agricultural sector in general and paddy, potato, big onion, and chillies in particular during the 1995-2000 period. It also discusses the problems and the fole of state enterprises in agricultural commodity marketing and various subsidy schemes implemented to enhance production. The paper also documents the constraints that hinder private sector investment in the domestic agricultural sector and the specific incentives provided by the government to attract more investment by the private sector. The paper makes several recommendations for improving the policy and the regulatory environment towards achieving a higher growth. Three issues that warrant immediate attention are emphasized. First, much attention has been paid in the recent past to the issue of continued erosion of profitability of paddy farming over the past several years. Increased cost of paddy production is considered the cause. But, it is emphasized that, it is not the only cause. Failure of the farm-gate price of paddy to keep up with the rising cost of production has also contributed to the problem of declining profitability of paddy production. Second, it is essential to have a consistent tariff policy in order to secure a sustainable long-term growth in the sector. Ad-hoc changes in tariff rates, which were characteristic in the recent past, are not conducivr to long-term growth. Such changes crate great uncertainty in the market and scare away producers, traders, and potentioal investors. It is recommended that a uniform ad-valorem tariff rate for all four commodities be implemented with the total tax incidence not exceeding 50 per cent. Third, the forward sales contract scheme recently introduced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, in our opinion, is the only market-based alternative to state intervention in agricultural commodity marketing. It is suggested that this program be taken seriously by policy makers and be given patronage to increase farmer participation.Item Impact of migration and remittances on investment in agriculture and food security in Sri Lanka(Colombo: Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, 2012-02) Samaratunga, Parakrama A.; Jayaweera, Roshini; Perera, NethminiOut-migration for work abroad has been a known phenomenon within the Sri Lankan labour force for a long time. However, by the mid-1980s, the proportion of unskilled workers was becoming more significant and at present this percentage lies in the region of 65 per cent. A large segment of these unskilled migrants come from the rural sector where the main occupation is agriculture. Out-migration of small farmers or members of their families can have both positive and negative effects on rural agricultural production as well as consumption. This study intends to formally examine the impact on rural agricultural production and the food security situation in farm families resulting from out-migration of the members of the rural agricultural sector of Sri Lanka.