News
Available agricultural expertise not passed down to farmers
“Let’s read DS again”
Only 1.7 percent of paddy farmers here have received any kind of professional training in agriculture despite the Agriculture Ministry having the highest number of PhDs in agriculture related subjects and an extensive network of agrarian officials countrywide, it was revealed at a conference on Thursday.
Guest Speaker at the conference, consultant paediatrician and researcher on political history, Dr Ajith Amarasinghe, said that majority of our farmers have had less than a month’s training.
Quoting numbers from an Agricultural Household Survey conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, Amarasinghe focused on this lacuna pointing out that despite available expertise, scientific knowledge has not been transferred to farmers on the ground.
“The Agriculture Ministry has the highest number of field officers. They do possess classical knowledge on agriculture but have had no training on how to transfer practical knowledge to the farmers in the field,” he told the meeting organized by the School of Democracy, an independent academy to promote political literacy and young political leadership.
The event titled “Let’s read DS again” conducted via zoom was attended by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Amarasinghe said the country’s education system was not geared to help its main industries and agriculture. “Our first Prime Minister, DS Senanayake commenced promoting growing our own food in a country that had focused on cash crops – tea, rubber and coconut. He worked on tank restoration and land settlement because he knew that the country’s population would double from four million to eight million in 30 years from the 1920s and 1930s.
“He foresaw a food shortage with population growth. He found people had lost their lands to cash crop cultivation in the Wayamba, Central and Western provinces and settled them in the North and East dry zone less populated than the rest of the country. He spearheaded an agricultural revolution and wanted very much to promote agricultural education.”
“DS in the Legislative Assembly in 1925 pointed out that we had a defective education system with no promotion of agricultural, industrial and technical education. He campaigned for the setting up of the Peradeniya University with an Agriculture Faculty pointing out that objectives of teaching that subject could not be achieved by having Colombo-based universities.
“Successive leaders after him could not continue his vision and mission maybe for political reasons. The end result is that parents try to make their children doctors, lawyers and engineers. Only a minuscule number of students could reach these professions while over 95 percent end their education only with literacy skills,” Dr Amarasinghe said.
A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.
Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.
Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.
Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.
It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.
Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.
Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions
• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981
News
Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.
Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
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Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
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