A special committee has been appointed to address crop damage caused by wild animals and to provide recommendations for managing the animals responsible.
The committee was established by the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Livestock, and Irrigation, M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe, under the guidance of Minister K.D. Lalkantha.
D.S. Rathnasinghe, the Additional Secretary (Agricultural Development) of the Ministry, has been appointed as the Chairman, along with 15 other members. The committee is currently collecting ideas and suggestions from scholars, environmental organizations, farmers, innovators, and citizens to prevent crop damage and manage the animals involved.
The committee has also identified the need for a census of wild animals responsible for agricultural damage, as there is no accurate data system on their population. This census is scheduled for March, with a preliminary survey recently conducted in the Ingiriya Grama Niladhari Division.
On 27th of February a consultation with experts, including the Minister, was held. During the meeting, the Minister highlighted the lack of a dedicated institution for wildlife management and stressed the importance of promoting discussions on the issue.
The Minister also mentioned that the government plans to address this long-standing problem through both short-term and long-term measures, based on the committee’s recommendations. All recommendations are expected to be submitted to the Minister by the end of March.
