The 37th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is scheduled to begin tomorrow (19). The conference will be held from tomorrow to the 22nd at the Colombo Hilton Hotel.
The state representatives of 42 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will participate in this conference, and more than 300 officials and ministers of agriculture from 35 countries will participate. Agriculture Ministers as well as Deputy Ministers and many representatives are currently present.
Among them, representatives of many countries such as Tonga, Palau, Vanuatu, Fiji, Nepal, Samoa, Marshall, Iran, Japan, Niue, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines are present.
Dr. Qu Dongyu, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka today morning (18). He and his group are also scheduled to observe the Welipanna, Pelawatta Athukorala tea factory and estate at 12 noon. This observation tour is being conducted at the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, after which he will participate in observing the Agalawatta Rubber Research Institute at 3:00 pm.
The Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industry Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera will also participate in the event.
In addition, tomorrow (19) officially starting the 37th Asia Pacific Conference, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera is going to start bilateral discussions with agriculture ministers of several countries.
All arrangements have been made to hold the inaugural session of this conference on the 20th under the patronage of HE the President Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe.
Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera says that this conference is the only conference where the largest group of state representatives will participate in Sri Lanka after the Easter attack, the Covid-19 epidemic situation and the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this conference is very important for our country and the Minister also said that Sri Lanka is going to have the presidency of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Asia Pacific Conference until 2026.
