‘SL, good case study in food security’

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Sri Lanka is a good case study for other countries in the region to find out how a country changed its position from one dependent on food imports to a country self-sufficient in rice, International Monetary Co-operation Senior Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama said.

He made this observation at the commencement of the two day Global Research Capacity Building Programme on Supporting Policy Research to Inform Agricultural Policy in South Asia by the Global Development Network in Colombo yesterday. Dr Amunugama said Sri Lanka imported rice and other food items from various countries at different times when there were climate changes. “We, at times imported rice from Burma, Thailand, India, Vietnam etc,” Dr Amunugama said.

He said Sri Lanka could make this change due to many reasons including the government’s dedication to policies aimed at developing the agricultural sector amidst a number of exogenous shocks that affected the dramatic growth of the economy of Sri Lanka as well as of other countries.

He said out of the exogenous shocks such as the economic crisis in the Euro Zone, energy shock and the food crisis, the only shock we had control over was the agricultural sector.

The minister said the government with dedication provided farmers with subsidies to uplift the agriculture sector despite the country being ‘pulled up’ by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He said these changes were supported by the foundation created by the legislature under successive governments, and also historical facts.

Dr Amunugama said the fact that receiving the universal franchise before many other countries in the region too was supportive to develop the agriculture sector as the majority of the population were farmers and the people in the rural areas had the opportunity to decide the policy through their vote .The minister said the country was also dedicated to research in the agricultural sector mostly in seeds, fertiliser usage, cropping etc. He said the paddy harvest of a acre could be increased from 20 to 30 bushels to 80 bushels as a result of these researches. The minister said more research needs to be carried out. Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Delhi Prasad Kariyawasam also spoke.