A meeting was held yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, with officials from the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance, to review the damage sustained in the agriculture, livestock, and irrigation sectors and determine urgent restoration measures.
Discussions focused on losses to paddy, maize, grain, and vegetable cultivation caused by recent adverse weather, as well as the need to quickly distribute compensation to affected farmers, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.
The impact on livestock and the irrigation sector was also highlighted, with the President stressing the importance of assessing damage to the irrigation network and taking immediate steps to restore it to full functionality.
Relevant restoration plans were instructed to be prepared and implemented without delay, the statement added.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha; Deputy Ministers Namal Karunaratne and Aravinda Senerath; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Senior Economic Advisor Duminda Hulangamuwa; Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma; Senior Additional Secretary Kapila Janaka Bandara; Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe; Directors General of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Animal Production and Health W.A.R.T. Wickramarachchi, Kithsiri Weligepola, and Dr. K.K. Sarath; along with other senior government officials.
