Thursday Oct 09, 2008
COLOMBO: Moves are under way by the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services to cultivate abandoned and deserted paddy lands under a national programme.

The programme will be introduced from Bandaragama in Kumburugoda, Bolabotuwa by the Ministry today, Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithreepala Sirisena said. The Ministry plans to cultivate about 100,000 acres under the programme, the Minister said.

Minister Sirisena said the decision to introduce a national programme to cultivate abandoned and deserted paddy land was based on the progress they have made in the National campaign commenced in 2007 to bolster the cultivation of food crops in the country. The cultivation programme commenced in 2007.

Let us Cultivate and Uplift the Nation has been a success and it has helped boost the national economy, he said.

It has also supported our goal to reach self sufficiency in various food products.

The Ministry's decision to launch a national cultivation programme can be attributed to the success of the 2007 campaign, he said.

Source: DAILY NEWS