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Cabinet Sub-committee to assist drought-hit areas
Friday, 30 October 2009 - 8:48 AM SL Time
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A Cabinet Sub-committee (CSC) has been appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to assist the people in the drought-hit areas, Cabinet Spokesperson Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said yesterday.
The sub committee comprises Ministers Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Rishard Badurdeen and Douglas Devananda.
Minister Yapa told the weekly cabinet press briefing that the committee will look into providing farmers with more equipment and technological facilities in order to cope with the situation. The sub- committee will give priority to provide them drinking water and ample water for irrigation.
With more machinery, the yield will increase, thus reducing the production cost of paddy, he added.
He said the Government would import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice to set up a buffer stock to mitigate a possible food crisis as a result of the severe drought in the main paddy farming districts of Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Moneragala, Puttalam, Ampara, Badulla and Anuradhapura. Stressing that the Government had not imported rice in the last few years as there was a steady development in the agricultural sector in the last few years, Minister Yapa pointed out that the Buffer Stock is created as a precautionary measure to keep the rice price at a reasonable level.
Open tenders will be called in the next few days to import rice, Minister Yapa said.
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Spetsnaz1
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Joined: Jun 2006
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 1 Nov 2009 11:03:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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stressing that the Government had not imported rice in the last few years as there was a steady development in the agricultural sector in the last few years,
we need these kinds of agricultural growth in our country..perhaps next year around if the GOSL really help out the local farmers we might be able to export rice... I wonder if that will ever occur.... farmers need more encouragement and help... |
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