India to Help Boost Sri Lanka’s Agriculture Sector

The Government of India has given consent to help the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka by providing high quality seeds for cultivation and also to set up a liquid milk processing plant in the Eastern Province.

This was conveyed by the India’s Union Minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution of India, Shri Sharad Pawar when he met with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama along with the Minister of Agriculture, Maithripala Sirisena and the Minister of Livestock Development, C. B. Ratnayake on the sidelines of the High Level Conference on World Food Security, convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome recently.

The Sri Lankan delegation discussed with the Indian side the global food situation and food security in the region. It was noted that unforeseen and unpredictable rise of food prices could lead to the disruption of normalcy, particularly in developing economies which are most vulnerable.

Minister Bogollagama stated that at present Sri Lanka faces a scarcity of rice due to supply constraints. Minister Pawar responded by saying that since independence, the supply of rice had not been an issue, but due to an increase in demand, the prices of rice in India too had risen.

Both delegations agreed to consider suitable options to address the phenomenon of soaring prices of staple commodities, particularly rice in the South Asian region. Dealing with the issue of achieving price stability of key food commodities such as rice, the Sri Lanka delegation suggested that procurement of these items for a period of at least three months would ensure price stabilization.

The Sri Lankan side expressed interest in obtaining Indian assistance to establish a liquid milk processing plant in the Eastern Province. Minister Pawar stated that the National Dairy Development Broad of India could consider extending assistance in this regard. Both sides acknowledges on the vital need for a Food Bank in the SAARC Region, President’s Media Unit said in a statement.

Source: Government of Sri Lanka

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