Self-sufficiently, President's aim - Bethmage

Wehelle Piyathilaka, Maharagama special corr.

HOMAGAMA: Ignoring all the political differences in the Western Provincial Council we have decided to unite in the public service setting an example for other local government bodies.

These observations was made by the Provincial Minister Hector Bethmage at a meeting held at Gabadawatta, Homagama to distribute 40 Hand Tractors among the farmers' committees in the Western Province.

Bethmage said due to the reduction of prices of manure most of the abandoned paddyfields were cultivated. Therefore the harvest of paddy have increased in 2005 and 2006. The most acute problem of the farmers is the higher rates of tractor fee in the private sector.

Therefore we were made to launch this tractor project to help the farmers in their farming. The cultivation pattern of Sri Lanka was changed by the colonial rulers.

Even since independence not enough emphasis were give to the farmers and the rural folk. Mahinda Chinthana bridged the gap by Kethata Aruna programme. This project is also a result of Mahinda Chintana. The objective of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to convert Sri Lanka into a self-sufficient country as in the past.

The speciality of this ceremony is that it had become a local all party conference. Representatives of all the parties JVP, UNP, SLFP, CP, LSSP, MEP, Sri lanka Mahajana Party and the Muslim Congress participated and spoke on behalf of their parties.

The leader of the opposition of the Western Provincial Council Kithsiri Kahatapitiya Commended Minister Hector Bethmage's tractor project and thanked him for uniting all the parties in public service. Forty hand tractors with all facilities and 30 spray machines were distributed among the cultivation committees in the Western Province. The estimate of the project was Rs. 8 million.

The Western Provincial counsellors, Aruna Kumara (JVP), M.S.L.M. Aslam (Muslim Congress), Shaul Hameed (UNP), Mahesh Almeda (CP), Sumith Wijethamuni Zoysa, and Isuru Desappriya (SLFP), Minister Chamal Rajapaksa's Media Secretary Lal Gamage, The Director General of Agrarian Services D.D. Waniganayake also participated.