President at Mahaweli Govi Upahara 2011:

Assisting farmers has paid rich dividends

Rasika SOMARATHNA

The government always considers the fertilizer subsidy and other assistance to agricultural activities as a future investment.

The government’s policy to provide maximum assistance to farmers since 2005, despite difficulties, has paid rich dividends, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. The President was addressing the “Mahaweli Govi Upahara – 2011”, the annual Mahaweli farmer felicitation ceremony at Temple Trees yesterday. The President presented awards to farmers and farming communities who excelled in various agricultural disciplines in the Mahaweli region on the occasion.

President Rajapaksa pointed out that there was a period not too long ago when agricultural activities were undermined in the country.

“There was an era where efforts were underway to undermine agriculture. They tried to give prominence to industries neglecting agriculture. These people did not spend a cent to upgrade irrigation schemes,” he said.

“But we introduced a new concept after 2005 in line with the country’s requirements. We saw the future needs and the importance of developing agriculture to meet the country’s food requirements. Thus we implemented numerous measures to encourage farmers and to get them back on the field”.

“Despite difficulties we gave fertilizer subsidy and other assistance to agriculture. We always considered it as an investment for the future,” the President said. The President pointed out to the gathering that the government’s emphasis on developing agriculture had proven correct and the country’s farmers even under difficult times, had kept the production up, thereby ensuring that not a single citizen had starved under any circumstances even during a global food scarcity.

President Rajapaksa also paid a tribute to Mahaweli farmers, saying that despite difficulties they had always contributed to produce food crops which the country needed. While assuring further assistance to farmers the President said that the government had also been able to create a safe and secure environment for farmers by eradicating of terrorism. Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that efforts were underway to further expand the country’s irrigation system.

He said that ‘the Mahaweli Authority’ which comes under his purview was not only concentrating on assisting farmers to boost their agricultural production, but was also looking to help the morale and spiritual uplift of the people in the Mahaweli region.

He pointed out that the Mahinda Chinthana does not concentrate only on a persons physical development but also on spiritual and morale uplift.

He said that the Mahaweli Authority will also be working towards helping farmers to get rid of alcohol and tobacco, use as well as other abuses.

Mahaweli farmers presented a memento and a fruit basket to the President to mark the occasion. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S.M.Chandrasena, Deputy Minister W.B.Ekanayake and Mahaweli Authority Director General Gamini Rajakaruna also spoke. large number of farmers and their family members from the Mahaweli region attended.