Ceremony for the reconstruction of the ‘Alla – Mavil Aru Govi Vyaparaya’ destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah was held under the patronage of Mr. K.D. Lalkantha, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.
The inaugural ceremony for the reconstruction of the ‘Alla – Mavil Aru Govi Vyaparaya’ destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah, which is implemented in line with ‘Wari Mahima Ape Urumaya’ programme under the government’s policy of ‘A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life’, was held today (13th) near the Mavil Aru Dam at Seruwila under the patronage of Mr. K.D. Lalkantha, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation.
The ‘Alla Govi Vyaparaya’ is a farmer enterprise consisting of 41 farmer organizations, operating with the participation of all ethnic groups – Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim. It is spread across a cultivation area of approximately 25,000 acres. The ‘Alla Govi Vyaparaya’ suffered significant damage due to Cyclone Ditwah. In the recent past, adequate attention was not paid to this enterprise. The estimated time for the reconstruction of the ‘Alla – Mavil Aru Govi Vyaparaya’ is 18 months.
The Minister expressed the following views.
“We examined and observed the situation caused by the disaster. Subsequently, we arrived at conclusions. Our conclusion is to completely transform this ‘Mavil Aru-Alla Govi Vyaparaya’. The Secretary of our Ministry has allocated Rs. 5000 million for the work starting today. Therefore, we have a responsibility to spend this money properly and expeditiously to implement the project. This is not easy. These renovation works must be carried out while providing water to farmers for the Yala cultivation season. A public committee is needed for this to see whether these activities are being carried out properly. We are doing participatory development.
This is a place where good national unity can be built. This is a place where Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim people live together equally. What we are starting today is not just an irrigation project. It is a programme of national unity.
Paddy purchasing in Sri Lanka had been stopped. Now we have started it. A fair price has been given for paddy to strengthen the economy of the farming community. To revive this, a renaissance must be created in the economy of farmers. That is our objective. A good price must be obtained for what they produce.
Don’t let reactionary forces sabotage this situation. We are self-sufficient in rice. However, production must be further increased to reduce rice prices. We are moving towards a programme to increase milk production. Now we don’t import even a single tin of canned fish from abroad. We don’t import vegetables from outside. We don’t import green gram from outside. We don’t import turmeric. We have another major problem regarding maize. A percentage of 50% of maize is imported from outside. We are also implementing a programme to reduce such imports.
Our objective is to transform the ‘Alla Govi Vyaparaya’ into a new phase. Under the Department of Agrarian Development, the ‘Eka Mitata – Govi Bimata’ programme is being implemented. Under that programme, we hope to cultivate arable lands that have not been cultivated. There is no need to increase paddy fields. The yield from paddy fields must be increased. For that purpose, the ‘Yaya 500’ programme is being implemented under the Department of Agriculture.
Now we are looking at bringing in a law that will prevent buyers from taking Nadu rice at a price less than Rs.120. Then, they cannot buy Nadu rice at a price less than Rs.120. If we build the lives of farmers and build the country’s economy, 80% of our country’s problems will be solved.
Please help make this a success. Don’t think that this project is just the work of the Irrigation Department.”
Joining this occasion, Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation Mr. Arvinda Senarath Vitharana also expressed his views.
We are involved in the programme to restore the Mavil Aru Dam, which suffered extensive damage from the recent Cyclone Ditwah, 2 months and 5 days after it occurred. As a Ministry, we frequently maintain contact with officials and discuss the current status of these projects, and it was during such occasions that news about this dam came up. As a people’s government, our objective was to rebuild this quickly.
For the first time in history, after about 20 years, we made it into a single Ministry centered on the farmer. We created a Ministry with all the facilities required by the farmer. We have brought together all departments here to repair the Mavil Aru Dam. We always make decisions according to the people’s priorities and the people’s needs. We realized that at this time, we need to breathe new life into the country’s agriculture. We thought that the government should make all the decisions that need to be taken for that purpose. Accordingly, a priority list has been prepared and action has been taken to quickly commence damaged projects across the country. This is the responsibility of a government and the people should be satisfied about it. The Irrigation Department and Ministry officials are courageously intervening to overcome this situation. The government is ready to solve the farmer’s problems giving the number one priority.
Member of Parliament Mr. Roshan Akmeemana, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation Mr. D.P. Wickremasinghe, and a large number of farmer organizations participated in this occasion.
