‘Unflagging support for the farmer’

Fertiliser at subsidised rate for farmers:

Sandasen MARASINGHE

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will record a landslide victory at the forthcoming Provincial Council elections since the government has ushered unprecedented development in agriculture. The vast development in agriculture related activities will help the farmer community which in turn will develop the country, SLFP General Secretary and Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

Speaking at a press conference at the Mahaweli Centre yesterday, the minister said the government under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s leadership has almost completed the Kaluganga and Moragahakanda projects while taking measures to commence the Deduru Oya and Uma Oya projects soon. “These projects will address the Dry Zone farmers’ water issue, not solved for 45 years,” Sirisena said.

He said the country’s major reservoirs have been renovated by the government. Minister Sirisena said the government is providing fertiliser at a subsidised rate of Rs 350 while the same is bought by the government at Rs 3,500.

He said when the government provided the subsidy first, the fertiliser was bought at Rs 8,000.

“The government is renovating paddy stores that were closed and destroyed by previous governments. It has also planned to construct new paddy stores. The government revived the Paddy Marketing Board that was closed down by the UNP, to encourage paddy cultivators,” the minister said.Sirisena said paddy, maize, fruit and vegetable cultivators in the North Central Province and Eastern Province, tea, rubber and coconut cultivators in the Sabaragamuwa Province and dairy farmers throughout the country have reaped a good income after 2005 since terrorism was eliminated.

The minister said the government on President Rajapaksa’s instructions initiated the Farmer Pension Scheme last month. He said this government revived the agriculture sector initiated by leaders like D S Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake, S W R D Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and Minor Export Crop Promotion Minister Reginald Cooray also participated.