President at progress review meeting:

‘Introduce rice varieties having bigger consumer demand’

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday stressed the need to introduce rice varieties having a bigger consumer demand to farmers to help them overcome marketing problems. The President made this observation when he presided over a progress review meeting of the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, Environment, Economic Development, Agrarian Services and Wild Life and Irrigation and Water Management and Institutions under their purview at Temple Trees.

The President said that even though farmers throughout the country cultivated rice with much enthusiasm, many of them found some difficulty in marketing their produce as the rice varieties they offered did not suit the market demand.

In order to save farmers from this difficulty they should be advised to cultivate varieties that are much in demand.

President Rajapaksa said the delay in solving problems relating to institutions under the purview of Ministries was mainly caused due to the delay in delegating powers to the officers concerned. This delay impeded attempts to achieve development targets. Therefore simple procedures should be adopted to delegate such problem solving powers to the officials concerned, the President said.

The President who paid attention to the problems brought forward by officials in the Environment and Irrigation Ministries said immediate steps should be taken to stop construction work in catchment areas.

He also directed officials to implement an immediate programme to overcome difficulties faced in the clearance of garbage in urban areas. Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Basil Rajapaksa, S M Chandrasena, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Arumugam Thondaman, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr P B Jayasundere and other officials were also present.