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| Sunday, 11 August 2002 |
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Rs. 60m economic centre at Meegoda by INDUNIL THENUWARA A special 'economic centre' will be set up at Meegoda as part of the government's efforts to promote rural agriculture. The foundation stone for the centre, an investment of Rs. 60 million, will be laid on August 23. According to Minister of Rural Economy and Deputy Minister of Finance Bandula Gunawardena, it will be completed within 88 days. The centre will focus on the storage of fruit and vegetables and will have refrigeration facilities. The project will be handled by the Government, which will expedite the process, he told a media conference in Colombo last week. "Four such centres will come up this year. The second, to assist banana cultivators will be established in Embilipitiya with a Rs. 40 million investment while two rice storage facilities will come up in Polonnaruwa and Marandagahamula with investments of Rs. 100 million and Rs. 50 million respectively. Six export villages will also come up," he said. "The Government has realised the importance of the rural economy; that is why Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has established a separate ministry for the sector. Agriculture plays a major role in the rural economy. Although 40 per cent of the working population is said to live on agriculture, the sector makes only a 20 per cent contribution to the economy; this is a problem related to productivity. The aim of the Government is to improve productivity, income and contribution to the economy from the sector," the Minister said. |
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