Saturday, 16 August 2014 00:33
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The Government will launch the sixth phase of the “Divi Neguma” domestic agriculture program on October 20, the Ministry of Economic Development announced.
Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa told the officials recently that the time for the program had been selected under the guidance of the Meteorological Department.
He further said that the vegetable prices are controlled during festival times due to the Divi Neguma program which promotes domestic agriculture projects to make island wide households self-sufficient.
Under the sixth phase, seed packets containing six varieties of food crops will be distributed among 2.5 million families in this crop season. Of those families, 1.4 million families will be given three plants of chilies and two plants each of capsicum, tomato and eggplant.
The first phase of the Divi Neguma program was launched in March 2011, aiming to revive and strengthen the economy by raising family incomes.
The program, which had been divided into three sections - Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, and Cottage Industries, is successfully operating today at both rural and urban levels and in plantation areas under the guidance of the Economic Development Ministry.
The progress of the Divi Neguma program is being monitored by Economic Development officers and Grama Seva facilitators.
