Govt’s agriculture policy helps self-sufficiency -FAO

H.D.H Senewiratne

The government's agriculture policy have paved the way for the country to be self -sufficient in many crops in agriculture, a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official said.

“Sri Lanka's agriculture policy under the ‘Mahinda Chintana’, fertilizer subsidy and other encouragements given by the government have developed the agriculture sector significantly. Therefore, the country has now been self sufficient in rice last year and other crops including chillies and maize within the next few years time,” FAO Representative in Sri Lanka and Maldives Patrick T Evans told the Daily News Business.

He said since they are working with the government and its agencies including local government and provincial authorities . Further, it is also quite easy to work with all relevant line ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Livestock Development because their support has helped them to make their work more easy, Evans said.

He said their focus is to develop agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors in the country and last four years they have granted more than US $ 46 million for the development of those sectors in the country. He also said that they have undertook many projects in Sri Lanka for the development of the agriculture sector throughout the country with a special focus for the north and the east to put their livelihood back to the original state.

The FAO Representative also said they are more active in the North and the East to help farming and fishing communities to engage in their occupations in a sustainable manner by providing seeds and fishing gear for those communities to enhance their contribution to the national economy.” In this backdrop they have helped to cultivate more than 145,000 acres of paddy land in the North and assisted in cultivating another 150,000 acres in the East following recent floods in the area,” he said. Evans added that to develop the agriculture sector in the country they have rolled out a plan to develop large scale irrigation projects, irrigation tanks and water management projects in the country, he said.

FAO has been given technical assistance to Sri Lanka since 1950 and they started a local office in 1979 to further strengthen their activities in Sri Lanka under their theme of achieve food security for all.