The Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply to
appoint  S. N. B. M. Patdmasiri who is a Special Grade officer in Sri Lanka Engineering Service and currently serving at the Department as the Additional Director General to the post of Director General of the Department of Government Factories with immediate effect.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven (07) South Asian and East Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The prime objective of the organization is to promote economic cooperation among the countries bordering the Bay of Bengal.

Agriculture is a major source of income for the BIMSTEC member countries. Due to the importance of agriculture and related sectors for sustainable development and regional food security, agriculture has been included as one of the areas in the BIMSTEC cooperation.

Accordingly, the BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and Senior Officials’ Meeting are conducted once every two years, and it has been proposed to conduct the 4th (fourth) meeting  in Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to host the fourth BIMSTEC Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and Senior Officials’ Meeting on 17th and 18th March 2027.

The current livestock policy, formulated in 2026, has identified the requirement for updating it, taking into account the challenges that have arisen in the field of food security and the developments in the livestock sector due to the social and economic transformations that have taken place globally and
locally.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation to implement the National Livestock Policy, which covers areas such as private sector-led development, market-oriented competitive production, sustainable and
environmentally friendly development, assistance for small-scale farmers and rural livelihoods, and development based on science and technology by obtaining local expert advice and knowledge.