Country self-sufficient in rice - Basil

Nimal WIJESINGHE - Anuradhapura additional district correspondent

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who liberated the country from terrorism and restored peace has succeeded in making the country self sufficient in rice.

No other leader since independence accomplished these tasks, said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Minister Rajapaksa commissioned the Asphalt manufacturing plant at Deriyakulam in Medawachchiya electorate on Monday.

The Chinese funded plant will manufacture Asphalt in bulk as a supportive substance used in carpeting roads.

The cost incurred for the project is Rs 1,015 million. The plan is capable of mixing 50 tons of Asphalt per hour under the first phase.

The minister said for the first time after the time of kings, Sri Lanka recently exported 500 metric tonnes of rice under the world food programme to Africa. The minister also revealed that 10,000 metric tonnes of maize harvested by the maize farmers in North Central Province would be exported to the foreign market.

"We have been importing undhu mainly consumed in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces from foreign countries spending a large sum of foreign exchange.

The quantity imported was 80 percent of the whole requirement. But resulting from the package of incentives to the Undhu farmers, we are self sufficient in Undhu.

"The plants in the calibre of newly commissioned Asphalt plant would contribute to the endeavour being made to make the country the miracle of Asia," the minister said.

Women's affairs and Child Development Minister Tissa Karaliyadda said villages such as Periyakulama existed for the namesake due to LTTE terrorists three years ago, continuously for about three decades. "We the people in Rajarata shall salute President Mahinda Rajapaksa and war heroes who were responsible in freeing the country from the clutches of terrorism.

The minister said that to see factories were emerging while all fallow paddy fields were blossoming had been confined only to dreams in the past.

North Central Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake, minister S M Chandrasena, Deputy Minister W B Ekanayake, Parliamentarian S C Muthukumarana, Provincial Minister H B Semasinghe, members of PC (NCP) Kalyani Karalliyadda SM Ranith, Medawachchiya PS Chairman H A K C Mendis, Presidential Coordinating Secretary Kithsiri Ganganath Abeygunawardana, Wanni 211 Brigade Commandant Brigadier PMSA Pallemulla, RDA officials and villagers were present.