Massive promotion for indigenous food crop cultivation

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Government will launch a massive countrywide campaign from August this year to promote the cultivation of indigenous food crops.

The Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Ministry under the auspices of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will commence the drive from the first week of August, Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithripala Sirisena told a progress review meeting at the Ministry recently.

The Ministry in collaboration with all Ministries, Provincial Councils, schools and non governmental institutions will implement this programme. Steps will be taken to cultivate food crops on every land space of the institutions which come under the purview of Agriculture Ministry, he said.

The Agriculture Ministry and all its institutions will take the lead in this regard by providing an example to all other State institutions to implement this programme within their premises, the Minister said.

Under this programme, steps will be taken to cultivate food crops such as chillies, potatoes, onions, cowpea, green gram and maize.

The Ministry will also launch the Government's National Agriculture policy in connection with this development drive. The Government will also take steps to re-establish the Paddy Marketing Board and Organic Fertiliser Production Authority, the Minister added.