National Agricultural Policy to ensure sustainable development
 

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The UPFA Government has pledged to the country's farmer community it would formulate a National Agricultural Policy (NAP) to ensure a sustainable development in the country's agriculture sector by effectively addressing the challenges and issues in the sector.

In the first Cabinet Paper under the new administration submitted by Agriculture, Environment, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development Minister Maithripala Sirisena approval was granted to formulate this NAP. The Ministry intends to complete the formulation of the proposed National Agricultural Policy within a short period.

Minister Sirisena announced this move, when he inaugurated the initial session of the advisory panel of the Agriculture Development Ministry which met at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Colombo yesterday.

The advisory panel which comprises university professors, former Agriculture Director Generals, intellectuals and representatives of private companies will submit their views to the Ministry to prepare this broad NAP within a short period, he said.

The Agriculture Ministry will implement a wide range of programmes next year which has targeted the uplift of both the country's agriculture and indigenous economy, the Minister said.

The Government will firmly dedicate itself to fulfil the pledges given to the farmer community in Mahinda Chintana, he said.

The Minister said despite the attempts made by the former Agriculture Ministers from time to time, it has failed to formulate a viable agriculture policy for the country. Therefore, the Ministry has decided to formulate a new agriculture policy which is more favourable to the country to achieve sustainable development in the agricultural sector.

Agriculture Development Minister Chamal Rajapakse said, the Government will implement a systematic programme to develop the country's agricultural sector for the next six years specially giving priority to the action plan contained in the Mahinda Chintana.

"At present there is an essential need for a National Agricultural Policy to the country. That policy should serve to increase national production and provide solutions to the burning issues of the farmer community.

In order to provide a permanent source of income to the people, the Ministry will systematically guide the people towards different cultivations offering maximum assistance for it," he said.

The Ministry will also implement a special programme to attract the younger generation towards agriculture and to prevent those already engaged in this pursuit from leaving the agriculture sector, the Minister said.

Rural Livelihood Development Minister and Social Services Deputy Minister Jagath Pushpakumara said a key programme will be to cultivate a variety of crops specific to each zonal level. The Ministry will identify the various crop varieties and provide facilities to cultivate and the sale such crops.

The 2006 budget has allocated money for this purpose.