Government launches local food drive

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Government has launched a venture to promote production and consumption of locally grown food varieties and save foreign exchange annually expended on the import of various food items that can be produced locally.

The Government will provide assistance and facilities to local entrepreneurs who have engaged in the production of various indigenous food products, Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development Minister Maitripala Sirisena told the Daily News.

Under a three-year action plan formulated by the Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development Ministry, immediate measures will be taken to promote the production of indigenous food items locally restricting the import of such food items, the Minister said.The Government through the promotion of indigenous food products intends to provide an additional source of income to farmers and create new employment opportunities in the agriculture sector, he said.

This project ennunciated in the Mahinda Chintana as Saru Ratak, Suwa Hetak (a prosperous country and a healthy tomorrow) will be implemented for three years from September 2006.

Following a Cabinet memorandum submitted by Minister Sirisena, the Cabinet has already granted approval to implement this project. All State institutions and Provincial Councils will join hands with the Ministry to successfully implement this project countrywide.

The Government will provide the opportunity to farmers to cultivate State owned lands which have not been utilised for any cultivation purposes to successfully implement this project. Steps will also be taken to establish models in such lands, the Minister said. The Ministry will educate and provide guidelines to farmers in the cultivation of indigenous food crops, storage and marketing of such products. The Ministry will make a joint effort with private sector in this regard.

"The data obtained by the Ministry has revealed that people are moving away from the consumption of indigenous food by moving fast to consume various imported fruits, vegetables and other food items. Only last year, red onions (10,233 metric tons), B-onions (110,713 metric tons), potatoes (46,194 metric tons), dried chillies (27,261 metric tons), maize (146,929 metric tons), dhal (86,389 metric tons), apples (17,462 metric tons) and Oranges (3,606 metric tons) have been imported."

"The Government's intention is to restrict the import of these food items in which the most food items can be made locally. The Government intends to completely stop the import of rice to promote local rice production," he said.