First-ever National Agriculture Policy goes to Cabinet this month

Tuesday, 4 April 2023 00:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Agriculture Minister

Mahinda Amaraweera

-Pic by Upul Abayasekara

The first-ever National Agriculture Policy is set to go before the Cabinet approval this month, according to Minister Mahindananda Amaraweera.

Speaking at the Agripreneur Conference on last week, organised jointly by the Agriculture Ministry, Sri Lanka Agripreneurs’ Forum, HNB, Colombo University MBA Alumni Association and the Daily FT, the Minister said the proposal for the National Agricultural Policy will be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers within weeks.

He stressed a consistent national policy that does not change with administration was essential for agriculture to flourish in Sri Lanka. It was added that he is hoping to receive approval for the policy and implement it at the earliest.

The proposed National Agriculture Policy focuses on food and feed crops and sustainable food security with improved food quality. It is formulated under 10 thematic areas, ensuring overall benefits reach the society, economy and environment.

The contribution of the agriculture sector (primary production) of Sri Lanka to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP; at constant market prices) is about 7% and 21.7% of the total exports. It involves 23.73% of the national labour force and occupies nearly 45% of the total land area in the current context.

The first ever Agripreneur conference titled “Empowering agripreneurs for a world of abundance” dealt with the present-day challenges in agribusiness and the need to seize new opportunities in the sector.

Amaraweera also said the Ministry has decided to introduce a QR Code system for farmers in future to fast-track the distribution of fertiliser and seeds for agricultural purposes.

He noted that the QR system can be applied to distribute fertiliser, seeds and many others that are extended by the Government to the farmers.

Minister Amaraweera also pledged to provide additional subsidies to farmers who went through severe hardships due to the lack of fertiliser. He said the Government has gradually managed to rectify the issues faced by the distribution networks.