Connect with us

News

10,000 hectares to come under maize cultivation in Mahaweli Zones

Published

on

Abandoned lands to be reacquired

State Minister of Mahaweli Zone, Canals, and Settlement Infrastructure Development, Siripala Gamlath, unveiled plans to cultivate 10,000 hectares of maize in Mahaweli Zones under the national food cultivation program ‘Vision of Prosperity’ launched by the President and the Prime Minister.

He said the government has taken a policy decision to suspend the import of non-essential food items. In this backdrop, moves are already underway to grow different varieties of food, including maize for which 10,000 hectares of land have been earmarked in the Mahaweli Zone.

The State Minister was addressing a group of representatives from farmer organizations in Mahaweli B Zone and some investors at a meeting to discuss prevailing issues, in Manampitiya, Polonnaruwa, last week.

“The annual demand for maize in the country is 500,000 metric tons. Of this, 250,000 metric tons are produced locally and my Ministry expects to supply 10% of the demand through the Mahaweli Zone. The balance has to be imported at a cost of Rs. 3 billion”, Gamlath noted.

The State Minister also participated in an inspection tour to review the progress of lands leased to large-scale investors in Welikanda, Aselapura, Ellewewa, Sinhapura and Punani in the Mahaweli B Zone.

During the inspection, it came to light that certain investors had not shown any interest in the projects. It was observed that these investors, who had obtained lands from the government for various agri-business projects, had abandoned them. This resulted in the lands remaining idle for years.

At this juncture, the State Minister directed the Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority, Sunil S. Perera to take over such lands.

He advised the Director-General to introduce a system to utilize the abandoned lands for productive purposes such as leasing them for cultivation to suitable investors or farmers.

It was also observed that certain investors have made the lease payments merely to hold on to the ownership but not put their lands into proper use. Certain investors have used only about 10% of the total land they obtained under the lease agreement.

The State Minister also noted with appreciation the investors who have fully utilized the lands they had obtained for projects.

Saying that abandoning Mahaweli lands in this manner is a waste of public property, Gamlath instructed the officers to properly scrutinize the projects in advance and allocate lands only to prospective investors in the future.

Mahaweli Authority Director-General Sunil S. Perera said that action has been taken to re-acquire 120 plots of land from a group of investors who failed to embark on viable projects or go in for any development activity so far.

He further said that 50 such blocks of land have already been allocated to different investors to begin development projects.

According to the Mahaweli Authority, 15,000 acres have been leased out to investors, farmer organizations and 806 other individuals for agricultural projects.

Deputy Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority, Engineer P. G. Gunapala, Director of Mahaweli Agriculture, B. Neville Rajapaksa, Mahaweli Project Development Director, Wasanthi Senevirathna, Mahaweli Livestock Resources Director, Thamara Priyadarshani, Director – Land, Asanka Gunasekera, Director – Land Use, Indika Jayawardana, Mahaweli B Zone Residential Project Manager, Sugath Weerasinghe, Mahaweli C Zone Residential Project Manager, Noel Jayasiri and several other officials also participated.



Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Heat Index at Caution Level in  the  Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota and Monaragala districts during the day time

Published

on

By

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 04 May 2026, valid for 05 May 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in  the  Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota and Monaragala districts during the day time.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.


Effect of the heat index on the human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Maldivian President plants a sapling to mark 60 years of Sri Lanka–Maldives Diplomatic Relations

Published

on

By

President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a State Visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, planted a sapling this afternoon (04) at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Upon arrival at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was warmly received by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Children lined both sides of the pathway holding the national flags of the two countries and paid tribute to the visiting Maldivian President.

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salih, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and the Mayor of Colombo, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, along with several other dignitaries.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

Continue Reading

News

Sri Lanka and Maldives strengthen ties with productive bilateral talks

Published

on

By

Following the bilateral meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, who is currently on a State visit to Sri Lanka, official-level bilateral discussions between the delegations of the two countries were held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussions commenced after the formal welcome ceremony accorded to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier this morning within the Presidential Secretariat premises.

Extending a warm welcome to the Maldivian President, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his appreciation for accepting the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

President Dissanayake noted that President Muizzu’s visit, taking place as the two nations mark 61 years of diplomatic relations, reflects the strong partnership, mutual trust and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The President further expressed confidence that the visit would mark a new phase in bilateral relations.

The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions on ways to further expand and diversify multifaceted cooperation, including economic, cultural and social ties, in a manner that delivers mutual benefits to the people of both countries.

Key areas of focus included tourism promotion, educational cooperation, youth and sports development, challenges faced by both nations in the fisheries sector within the Indian Ocean region, education and vocational training, as well as defence training and broader security cooperation.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Science and Technology, Krishantha Abeysena; Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (covering Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Legal Affairs) M. R. K. Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan and Director (South Asia and SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mahesha Jayawardena.

The Maldivian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, Chief of Staff to the President, Abdulla Fayaz, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, Mohamed Naseer; Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka,Masood Imad; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol , Mohamed Shahudy, Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Mr Mohamed Hassaan and Minister Counsellor at the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ismail Mamdhooh.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

Continue Reading

Trending