News
Maha paddy cultivation: WB comes to govt.’s rescue
By Ifham Nizam
Sri Lanka had received an assurance from the World Bank that it would provide the necessary financial assistance to purchase the total requirement of urea fertiliser to cultivate paddy, Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife and Forest Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera said.
The announcement was made after Minister Amaraweera met a visiting WB delegation.
The Minister said: “We don’t need to have fears about the Maha season. I appreciate the World Bank’s support for our initiative to provide rice to the people of the country without any shortage in the future.”
Amaraweera also said that the government was holding discussions with other organisations with a view to obtaining agrochemicals. “We, as the Ministry of Agriculture, urge all farmers to cultivate without fear,” he added.
A discussion was held at the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday on how to purchase chemical fertilisers required for paddy cultivation during the Maha season.
The discussion was chaired by Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Senior Agriculture Specialists and Secretary to the Ministry.