Sri Lanka - Crop Estimating Survey on Paddy (Maha) - 1998

V1.0: Full edited dataset, original version for internal DPD Use

2008-12-03

Crop estimating survey on paddy which is popularly known as "Crop Cutting Survey" commenced in the year 1950. It is conducted covering Maha and Yala season with a view to estimate the average yield of paddy and production by District. In a Maha season about 6,000 and in a Yala season about 4,000 experiments are being conducted for this survey and it is the only source to estimate the country's paddy production. Policy Planners are benefited by these data in numerous ways for taking the decisions such as volume of additional rice requirement of the country to be imported in time, evaluation of extension programs undertaken to uplift the average yields of paddy, pricing policies of rice, mobilization of stocks from one place to another and many more. Therefore, it is a great responsibility to estimate paddy production accurately and timely to fulfill the national requirement.

Field staff attached to each District has been entrusted with many responsibilities on various data collection activities and among them, method of data collection for crop cutting is different from the other surveys. This survey is associated with an objective approach; as such crop cutting officers should carry out experiments in the field by themselves. According to the standard procedure, the crop cutting officer must visit the selected paddy field and they should follow a number of steps such as; demarcate the specified plot of land equivalent to 16' ½'' X 16' 1/2" (a paddy land of one perch of an acre), harvest the crop of the plot, thresh the grain, measure the grain using standard set of seers and finally report the results through the prescribed form CC3.

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Concepts, Definitions and Classifications associated with Crop Estimation of Paddy Survey

Seasons - In Sri Lanka there are two major cultivation seasons associated with two monsoons and they are known as Maha season and Yala Season.

Maha Season is the main season associated with North-east monsoons effective during September - April in the following year. When a particular crop is planted and harvested during this period is known to be Maha Crop.

Yala season is the secondary season which is associated with South-west monsoons effective during the period between May to September. When a particular crop is planted and harvested during this period is known to be Yala Crop.

Mode of Irrigation

There are three type of irrigations related with paddy cultivation. They are (1). Major Irrigation schemes (2). Minor Irrigation schemes (3). Rain-fed schemes.

Major Irrigation schemes defined to be an irrigated scheme of which water is fed to more than 200 acres otherwise it defines as a Minor Irrigation scheme.

Rain-fed is defined, if the cultivated extent is purely depending on rain water in absence of permanent water tank or reservoir.

Volume of Production is reported in Metric Tons.

Average Yield per acre or Hectare: An Indicator of productivity per area unit (2.471 acres = 1 hectare while 1 hectare is equal to 1,000 square meters) estimated through crop cutting survey. Average yield per acre is reported in Bushels while per hectare is reported in Kgs.

Average yield is expressed in terms of Paddy (grain with the husk form but not in Rice form)

Area Harvested refers to the gross area of which the harvest is gathered excluding the area damaged due to different causes.

Gross Area refers to the extent of which reported by enumerators or respondents based on cultivated extent estimated by seed rates but not based on cadastral surveys while Net Area refers to the extent evolved by deducting the extent set a part for bunds and ridges.

Production for a year should consider to be the sum of the production of Maha season and Yala season. For instance the production of the year 2005 is to be the sum of 2004/05 Maha season and Yala season of 2005.

Sample survey data [ssd]

Paddy land Parcel 16 1/2" X 16 1/2", Where smaller experimental plot sizes are used in terraced fields.