Virus and victuals
Crisis and opportunity come together. The latter often goes unnoticed. The nations that see opportunities in crises and grab them achieve progress.
All it took to bring the developed world to its knees, just like its developing counterpart, was a microorganism. Coronavirus has upended the whole world, which won’t be the same ever again even when the ongoing global health emergency is over.
Whoever would have thought automobile giants, catering to the global super rich, would have to produce ventilators, and breweries hand sanitizers, of all things? Only the tobacco Mafia has not made any contribution to the global campaign against Covid-19. Instead, it is weakening people’s lungs and making them susceptible to pneumonia. The countries that kill hundreds of thousands of people, in illegal wars they wage to further their geo-strategic interests, are now struggling to save human lives! They built stockpiles of sophisticated weapons, over the decades, but are without enough ICU facilities to treat their own people, afflicted with Covid-19. The Achilles heel of the Global North has been exposed—public health care. The process of globalization has also got derailed, to all intents and purposes, with all countries having closed their national borders.
Sri Lanka, which relied on imports, from food to kites, has been shaken awake. It has suddenly realised the need to increase its food production. The Covid-19 crisis has caused most countries to cut down on their food exports, and food importing nations have been left high and dry, as a result. The government has launched a mega cultivation drive, and is seen to be making a serious effort to make it a success.
The Department of Agriculture is distributing seeds among the people, who seem to have evinced a keen interest in the ongoing home-garden project. The success of this programme, however, hinges on the ability of the authorities concerned to monitor its progress consistently and provide advice and assistance to the public. If this project can be steered to a success, it will help bring down the cost of living considerably.
Meanwhile, in some areas, farmers cannot dispose of their produce, even when there is no curfew, as is public knowledge. It was reported, the other day, that bananas were being distributed, free of charge, in Ambalantota, as there was no demand for them, in the area, and they could not be transported elsewhere, under the current circumstances. One of the main reasons for shortages of locally produced food items, in some parts of the country, is lack of transport and storage facilities. There are occasions when farmers, especially those in the North Central Province, dump their produce on the wayside, in protest, even when vegetable prices are high, in other areas like Colombo. Successive governments have pledged to provide the vegetable producing areas with storage facilities and establish a distribution network. But the problem persists as that promise has been reneged on. The incumbent government may be able to tackle it with the help of Sathosa, whose vehicle fleet needs to be augmented substantially; most of all, this vital state venture must be rid of corruption and efficiently run.
It is fervently hoped that the enthusiasm of both the government and the public, in the current cultivation drive, won’t fizzle out when the present crisis is overcome, sooner or later.
Crisis and opportunity come together. The latter often goes unnoticed. The nations that see opportunities in crises and grab them achieve progress.
All it took to bring the developed world to its knees, just like its developing counterpart, was a microorganism. Coronavirus has upended the whole world, which won’t be the same ever again even when the ongoing global health emergency is over.
Whoever would have thought automobile giants, catering to the global super rich, would have to produce ventilators, and breweries hand sanitizers, of all things? Only the tobacco Mafia has not made any contribution to the global campaign against Covid-19. Instead, it is weakening people’s lungs and making them susceptible to pneumonia. The countries that kill hundreds of thousands of people, in illegal wars they wage to further their geo-strategic interests, are now struggling to save human lives! They built stockpiles of sophisticated weapons, over the decades, but are without enough ICU facilities to treat their own people, afflicted with Covid-19. The Achilles heel of the Global North has been exposed—public health care. The process of globalization has also got derailed, to all intents and purposes, with all countries having closed their national borders.
Sri Lanka, which relied on imports, from food to kites, has been shaken awake. It has suddenly realised the need to increase its food production. The Covid-19 crisis has caused most countries to cut down on their food exports, and food importing nations have been left high and dry, as a result. The government has launched a mega cultivation drive, and is seen to be making a serious effort to make it a success.
The Department of Agriculture is distributing seeds among the people, who seem to have evinced a keen interest in the ongoing home-garden project. The success of this programme, however, hinges on the ability of the authorities concerned to monitor its progress consistently and provide advice and assistance to the public. If this project can be steered to a success, it will help bring down the cost of living considerably.
Meanwhile, in some areas, farmers cannot dispose of their produce, even when there is no curfew, as is public knowledge. It was reported, the other day, that bananas were being distributed, free of charge, in Ambalantota, as there was no demand for them, in the area, and they could not be transported elsewhere, under the current circumstances. One of the main reasons for shortages of locally produced food items, in some parts of the country, is lack of transport and storage facilities. There are occasions when farmers, especially those in the North Central Province, dump their produce on the wayside, in protest, even when vegetable prices are high, in other areas like Colombo. Successive governments have pledged to provide the vegetable producing areas with storage facilities and establish a distribution network. But the problem persists as that promise has been reneged on. The incumbent government may be able to tackle it with the help of Sathosa, whose vehicle fleet needs to be augmented substantially; most of all, this vital state venture must be rid of corruption and efficiently run.
It is fervently hoped that the enthusiasm of both the government and the public, in the current cultivation drive, won’t fizzle out when the present crisis is overcome, sooner or later.
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