(UTV | COLOMBO) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that a national plan should be implemented to ensure food security and nutrition in Sri Lanka.
He made this observation addressing the inaugural program of the establishment of the Multi-sector Combined Mechanism for empowering Rural Economic Revitalization Centers to ensure food security and nutrition.
The program was held at the President’s Office on Tuesday(13).
The president pointed out that agriculture should be made a foreign exchange earning sector by way of enhancing production and competitiveness through the modernization of agriculture.
The President who emphasized the need to work in an organized and collective manner to solve the food issue in the face of the global food crisis said that everyone should join hands with the government’s new program to ensure food security and nutrition.
The President’s statement is as follows;
-The government has got to face the challenge of provision of food to all since the country experienced a minus seven economy. He added when the economy shrunk the people would deprive of living.
-The construction sector is experiencing a massive unemployment rate now and all have to face this situation until the government finds funds for them.
-A proportion of the people in the country have been deprived of food while the middle class has lost their income.
-The country would have to face the same situation which has been aggravated by the global food crisis, the next year as well.
Due to the Ukrainian war, we don’t get the flour supplies while the floods in Pakistan have destroyed their farming lands.
The rise of food items in the world market due to the shortage of food affects smaller countries such as Sri Lanka.
With this situation, India has brought the food export to a close while China too has reduced.
This situation would not come to an end by this December but could last for two years.
Thus the country would have to face a food crisis. Even the fuel price could rise in the winter.
Food security should be guaranteed to get rid of this economic crisis and the same food should be produced locally.
The food security program was initiated to achieve this
end. The government has found USD 200 million for the provision of fertilizer for the Maha season cultivation which has already been initiated.
Another sum of USD 20 million should be found to cater to the fullest requirement.
Discussions are in progress at the Ministerial level to get the needy seeds for cultivation from the countries such as Thailand as there is a shortage of seeds for some areas.
When implementing the cultivation program it should be assessed as to what is required and how could it be fulfilled.
If there is a surplus of harvest the market would crash.
There should be a national program to guarantee food production and the same should be implemented at the Provincial, district, and divisional secretariat levels with the participation of all.
The powers of the government are vested in the executive while the powers of the Provincial councils are vested in the President.
By now the Provincial Councils are not in function.
All these 03 sectors should be brought together and a combined project should be implemented to make this endeavor a success.
The district secretaries have full powers to implement those programs.
In the meantime, the Ministry secretaries and the department heads should convey the same message to the people at their levels and no one should give excuses for their failures.
As an initiation hold a discussion on Friday with the stakeholders, plan the work and then work the plan.
Then at the divisional level combine all and direct them to the production.