Photo courtesy of The Hindu
The National People’s Power (NPP) party outlined its vision for strengthening the local dairy industry in its policy statement, A Prosperous Country, A Beautiful Life. However, four months after the new government took office, it has yet to provide a solution to the ongoing crisis faced by dairy farmers in Mylathamadu in Batticaloa.
The primary issue confronting dairy farmers is the acquisition of traditional grazing lands by external crop cultivators. For centuries these grasslands have served as vital feeding grounds for dairy cattle. However, due to political interference by previous governments, the lands were forcibly taken over, often disregarding even court orders.
While this remains the situation in Batticaloa, a new conflict has emerged in the Ampara district, particularly in Vattamadu, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Thirukkovil Divisional Secretariat, where dairy farmers and paddy farmers are at odds over access to grazing lands.
A land survey was conducted in the Ampara District to allocate designated grazing land for dairy farmers under the directives of the district Government Agent at the time. In 1972, the Department of Surveys demarcated and marked the boundaries of grazing land in the Vattamadu area. In 1974, Vattamadu was declared as a designated pasture land covering 3,850 acres through boundary markings, maps and written orders.
By 1975, after completing surveying activities, the Vattamadu Grassland was re-declared as a pastureland covering 4,741 acres. A year later, it was officially declared as a 4,000 acre designated pastureland through a gazette notification. This decision allocated 741 acres from the previously demarcated 4,741 acres to paddy farmers.
Although the grassland was surveyed, marked and gazetted, it was never formally handed over to the Ministry of Livestock Resources Development. During the civil war, the area fell under the control of the LTTE and dairy farmers were denied access due to security restrictions. However, every three months it was common to see around 30,000 cattle brought by dairy farmers from various areas for grazing on the Vattamadu Grassland.
While dairy farmers were prohibited from using the land, paddy farmers were granted 300 acres in Vattamadu for cultivation with the approval of the District Secretary. However, since most of these paddy farmers were unauthorised cultivators without legal permits, the District Secretary issued a written order in March 2005 instructing them to abandon cultivation after one season until a sustainable solution was implemented.
Unauthorised cultivators
After the end of the civil war, dairy farmers returning to Vattamadu Grassland to release their cattle were met with a devastated landscape cleared by bulldozers and stripped of its natural vegetation. In 2009, under the Rajapaksa administration, groups backed by Ampara district politicians forcefully occupied the pastureland and began unauthorised paddy cultivation, according to S. Pushparajah, President of the Vattamadu Dairy Farmers’ Association, who witnessed the destruction. The struggle to protect the grassland and prevent deforestation began at that point and continues to this day.
“The Vattamadu Grassland was bulldozed and destroyed with the political backing of the government. Because of this influence, the Department of Wildlife Conservation took no action. We lodged complaints and in 2011, we filed a lawsuit. Only then were we able to halt the destruction,” said S. Pushparajah, who was then a member of the Eastern Provincial Council.
Despite immense political pressure against him, Pushparajah’s campaign gained unified support from Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim communities, which significantly strengthened their resistance. In January 2010, a special gazette notification was issued by the government declaring the Vattamadu Grassland as part of the Backmitya-Timbirigolla Sanctuary.
The Backmitya-Timbirigolla Sanctuary was designated for protection and a request was made by the Vattamadu Dairy Farmers’ Association for permission to graze cattle in areas of the grassland reserved for them. The request was filed in a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court against 14 government officials and the case is still under review. While the petition was under examination, political influence was used to illegally cultivate land by 31 unauthorised farmers who destroyed approximately 1,500 acres of the sanctuary. The Thirukkovil police arrested the offenders based on a complaint from the dairy farmers.
In 2013, the Department of Wildlife Conservation officially banned unauthorised farmers from entering the Backmitya-Timbirigolla Sanctuary. Paddy farmers claimed that their parents had been cultivating the land for coconut harvesting near Vattamadu since 1968, and in 1985 they received land permits for cultivation.
Fraudulent land permits
However, the Dairy Farmers’ Association claims that these land permits were fraudulent. Pushparajah said, “At the request of the court, the Assistant Land Commissioner of the Ampara District examined 525 copies of these permits. However, none of these copies were found at the Thirukkovil Divisional Secretariat office nor at the Land Commissioner’s office.”
The association also points out that paddy farming is taking place in the Vattamadu area. In 2014, a petition was filed in the Kalmunai High Court to remove unauthorised farmers from the grasslands. The dairy farmers gained an advantage in this case. However, in December 2015 the Appeal Court ruled against the paddy farmers. The Kalmunai High Court’s decision was upheld. During the Appeal Court`s hearing of the dairy farmers’ petition in September 2015, the Thirukkovil Divisional Secretary stated in front of the judge that steps would be taken to remove unauthorised farmers from the grassland.
Elephants’ corridor
The issue regarding the Vattamadu Grassland has resurfaced as the new government meets with the paddy farmers who are requesting a solution to their problem. While the court case is still ongoing, the government is making an effort to mediate and find a compromise between the dairy farmers and the paddy farmers. However, the Dairy Farmers’ Association insists on retaining the 4,000 acre Vattamadu Grassland, and 269 dairy farmers are protesting for this cause.
“This is the only grassland available for both cows and buffaloes. It is not fit for farming. The situation here is like a wild elephant problem. Four of our dairy farmers have been killed by elephants. Large elephant herds cross through the Vattamadu area. These herds stay for about three months at a time. Every time we attempt to farm here, the elephant problem arises. This is something that needs to be addressed,” Pushparajah said.
He emphasised that the 4,000 acre Vattamadu Grassland is the rightful property of the dairy farmers and it was the government’s responsibility to protect it. Until a court decision is reached, the Ampara District Secretary has announced that the government plans to allocate 300 acres of grassland for farming according to the paddy farmers’ request.
At a meeting held in February 15 this year, it was agreed that 300 acres would be allocated for paddy farming while the 4,000 acres of grassland would remain with the dairy farmers. The decision regarding the land allocation for both the grassland and the paddy fields will be implemented by the government.
However, authorities were forced to abandon the allocation of land for paddy cultivation, much to the dismay of dairy farmers, following the announcement of local government elections.