Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera said that the HE the President has allocated an amount of 25 billion rupees to continue the modernization program in the agricultural sector this year.
The Minister expressed these views while participating in the occasion of giving the fruit plants required for the National Tree Planting Auspicious time on the 18th of this month to the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries.
In order to get more productivity from the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka, new technology must be introduced to the agricultural sector. It is difficult to get high yield especially by following traditional methods. Also, it has become difficult for the farmers to get a high income and high yield. Due to this, there is a need to attract the youth community to agriculture in this country.
But there is a feeling in the youth community of this country that agriculture is not a profession that can earn more income. Therefore, in order to reconfirm the confidence of the youth community in agriculture in this country and to attract them to the agriculture sector. Agricultural modernization guidelines have been introduced to introduce new agricultural technology.
Last year in Hambantota, Monaragala, Galle, Vavuniya and Kurunegala Districts the Youth Agri Entrepreneurship Village system was started and so far the work has been extremely successful.
Therefore, the aim of this program is to select at least 200 villages in 200 divisional secretariat divisions of the island wide and develop them as youth agro-entrepreneurship villages. In particular, providing drone technology, using parachute discs for paddy cultivation, using sprinkler water technology for irrigation as well as drip irrigation method, cultivating seeds that can get more yield as well as cultivating and cultivating high quality crops by reaching the market.
The minister also said that many programs such as providing automated Net houses are to be introduced under this. The minister also mentioned that the cabinet paper he presented was approved and the HE the President agreed to give 25 billion rupees to this program for this year.
Our economy has not yet recovered. But the HE the President agreed to allocate Rs.25 billion as per my request for this agricultural modernization program. Today, many people have realized that this country can be built economically only through agriculture. We have organized many systematic programs for that purpose, the minister said.
