'Govt will allocate funds for productive projects'

Atapattu BANDARA

The government will allocate funds for projects in which productive project proposals are included for the development of the country and for the majority's welfare, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said.

He was addressing senior agricultural officers in several agricultural farms in the Uva and North Central provinces recently.

The minister made inspection tours to Ulpathagama Horticultural Research Centre at Hasalaka, CIC Research Centre at Mahiyanganaya, Aluttarama Seeds and Crop Agricultural Research Centre, Girandurukotte, Agricultural Research Centre and Regional Agricultural Research Centre at Aralaganwila in Polonnaruwa recently.

The minister directed the authorities to expedite their tasks to be ready with the government's initiative to develop the agriculture industry in line with the Mahinda Chinthana policy initiative.

The minister found that the management of the Ulpatagama Horticulture farm has been unable to adopt an efficient mechanism to develop the farm and provide benefits for the employees.

The minister transferred the farm manager with immediate effect due to his inefficiency in executing government plans on agriculture and not taking steps to redress the employees' grievances while letting the farm into disarray.

The Ulpathagama horticultural research centre at Minipe in the Kandy district was established in 1974 for research purposes by then Agriculture Minister Hector Kobbekaduwa.

This was the first ministerial visit to the farm after its inception.