President calls for urgent action to restore agriculture, livestock, and irrigation sectors

A meeting was held yesterday (04) at the Presidential Secretariat, presided by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with the participation of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, to review the damage sustained in the agriculture, livestock and irrigation sectors and the urgent steps required for their restoration.

The discussions focused on the losses incurred to paddy, maize, grain and vegetable cultivation due to the adverse weather conditions affecting the country, as well as the need to promptly initiate the distribution of compensation to the affected farmers, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. 

Attention was also drawn to the impact on livestock and the irrigation sector, with the President emphasizing the necessity of assessing the damage to the irrigation network and implementing immediate measures to restore it to full functionality, PMD said. 

Relevant plans were instructed to be prepared and executed without delay, the statement added. 

The meeting was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Lands and Irrigation Aravinda Senerath, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Additional Secretary Kapila Janaka Bandara, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe, Director General of the Department of Agriculture W.A.R.T. Wickramarachchi, Director General of the Department of Irrigation Kithsiri Weligepola and Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health Dr. K.K. Sarath, among other senior government officials.