Meeting between Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha and the British High Commissioner
A meeting between Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, K.D. Lalkantha and the British High Commissioner was held yesterday (31st ) at the Govijana Mandiraya. The Minister expressed his appreciation regarding the British High Commissioner and the British Government working together with Sri Lanka.
During this meeting, the British High Commissioner inquired about the damage caused to agriculture sector in Sri Lanka due to Cyclone Ditwah. The Minister presented the facts regarding this matter.
There is a certain amount of land that cannot be cultivated in the near future. The soil layer itself has been washed away on those lands. There is another portion where the cultivated amount has been destroyed. There is yet another portion where there is no damage to those cultivation lands after the water receded. Some damage has occurred to vegetable cultivation. Minor export crops such as turmeric, ginger, pepper, and coffee have also been damaged. Farmers are enthusiastic about replanting these crops. The government will provide them with assistance.
In the livestock sector, animals were also harmed. The government’s policy is to provide the necessary support for recovery to everyone who has been affected. We are confident that we will not face a major problem regarding food security.
Our irrigation systems have been damaged. Major irrigation systems have not suffered significant damage. Among the major irrigation systems, places like Mavilaaru and Allahera have been damaged. However, small-scale irrigation systems have suffered extensive damage.
Roads in the Central Province have to be repaired again and again. The main issue is resettlement. If that is done properly, it will take about a year and a half. Taking care of those people until then is a challenge.
We hope to focus on other products made from rice. Targeting the tourism industry, we are currently importing certain vegetables. We hope to develop vegetable exports by involving the private sector as well. Currently, we produce only about 40% of our milk requirement. We are taking various steps to increase it to 70%. By now, we have also turned to exporting chicken meat. Maize, which is mainly used as animal feed, is produced only about 50% within the country. Our attention is also focused on creating farmer companies by bringing together farmers scattered across the country.
Participating in this occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, Mr. D.P. Wickramasinghe, also presented facts regarding the damage caused to the agriculture sector due to Cyclone Ditwah, and the British High Commissioner was informed about the challenges that Sri Lanka has to face.
