In conjunction with the ‘Wari Mahima Ape Urumaya’ program, the opening of the Ihala Kaniyam Water Control Structure was held under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, K.D. Lalkantha.
The ceremony to open the Ihala Kaniyam Water Control Structure, in conjunction with the ‘Wari Mahima Ape Urumaya’ program being implemented under the government’s policy of ‘A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life’, and the opening of the Kalwetta Kaniyam Bridge along with the Water Control Structure, was held yesterday (2nd) in the Navagiri Aru area of Batticaloa, under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, K.D. Lalkantha.
Approximately 500 acres can be additionally cultivated through this, and it will also create the opportunity for three cultivation seasons, which was a special request of the farmers. This provides the opportunity to cultivate paddy for two seasons and grow another additional crop in the third season. The present government received great appreciation from the people for completing this construction and handing it over to public ownership within a period of about one year. Many expressed the view that this would be an opportunity to achieve the goal of lifting farmers out of poverty. The Minister’s appreciation was given to the Department of Irrigation for successfully completing this project with an investment of 45 million rupees.
The Minister expressed his views while participating in this event.
The Ministry of Agriculture has the responsibility of providing food to the people. If we can’t do this properly, we’ll have to import food and drink from abroad. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe is the Minister of Consumer Affairs. The President has brought together officials from both our institutions and holds a meeting. We meet every two weeks. The responsibility of that committee is to ensure food security. We discuss rice, vegetables, milk, and egg production there. If our production is insufficient, we decide that these items should be imported from abroad in these quantities. That decision is taken and presented to the Cabinet of Ministers.
Paddy cultivation is mainly carried out in this area. Our country has a large extent of paddy fields. What is needed now is to increase the yield from our paddy fields. For this purpose, we have started a new program in this Maha season. We have a long-term goal. It is to be self-sufficient in food by 2028. Especially, we want to stop importing rice from abroad. These days we import a certain type of rice from abroad. A certain amount of Keeri Samba needed for hotels and festive occasions has to be imported from abroad. The reason for this is the insufficient quantity of Keeri Samba cultivated by our farmers. A certain amount of the required Keeri Samba has to be imported from abroad. If possible, try to cultivate more Keeri Samba in this area. The yield that can be obtained per acre of Keeri Samba is less than Nadu varieties. That’s where the problem lies. But it gets a higher price. It is essential to meet with our officers and cultivate according to the demand. Cultivating out of habit doesn’t work anymore.
To live happily as a society, we need to build several aspects well. One is the politics of our country. We are doing that now. For the first time in Sri Lanka, we have built a politics free from theft, corruption, fraud, and waste. Next is our economy. We are managing the economy from where it had collapsed. We are not saying we have built a great economy yet. The third aspect is society. The drug problem is a social problem. Society has collapsed. We don’t allow racism anywhere. We suppress it wherever we see it. We don’t allow religious extremism. Drugs are an epidemic today. Next is the cultural aspect. We need to build these things. During these years, we have laid the necessary foundation for what the people need.
A group of officials, including officials from the Department of Irrigation, participated in this event.
