Development under Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma :

Main thrust on rural sector

The main thrust of the development envisaged under the Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the development of the rural sector to be on par with other sectors providing the infrastructure and economic development opportunities to accelerate the annual growth rate of the economy between seven to eight percent in the next year and after, senior ministerial sources told the Daily News yesterday.

Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who opened a number of cinnamon processing factories at Telwatte, Karandeniya, Kosgoda and Galduwa in the South said Sri Lanka supplies eighty percent of the world demand for cinnamon.

He said efforts are underway to drive the percentage up with to increase foreign exchange earnings.

High-tech cinnamon processing factories to replace the traditional Kurundu Wadiyas were two such steps taken in this respect.

These were part of a program initiated by the Export Development Board (EDB) to introduce the Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) for cinnamon in order to upgrade the quality standards and hygienic conditions prevailing in the processing of cinnamon. In addition, a sum of rupees three million was handed out as part of a capital infusion scheme, the Minister said.

Galle and Matara Districts where the bulk of the country’s cinnamon production takes place, have been selected as the central areas where the new processing facilities would be located under the new program of Agro-Export Zones of the EDB. Similar factories were declared open and cash grants given by the Minister previously in the Matara District too, he noted.

Referring to the prevalent political climate in the country, Prof. Peiris said that gratitude has played an important role in the culture of Sri Lankans throughout the ages and they always rejected the ungrateful people out of hand, as witnessed at the recently held Presidential Elections.

He said that Mahinda Rajapaksa received the highest number of votes from those who dwelt in the rural agricultural economy.

Thus it was the responsibility of the Government to help such people achieve their economic aspirations.

He also said that the Government was ready to attend to the needs of the people not only during election times but also thereafter and the present factory openings were an example of such behaviour.