Top priority to modernise agriculture

by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

The Government has given top priority to modernise agricultural practices and enhance value addition and product diversification to generate new income and provide viable employment opportunities in the agriculture sector.

The Government's Development Policy Framework will raise the agricultural output significantly during the next decade, while maintaining the GDP at a satisfactory level in keeping with the Mahinda Chintana Vision for the Future.

The Government will support all major phases in the production cycle from cultivation to marketing in the domestic and international markets. This will help the agriculture sector to grow at 10 percent in the next decade.

At present agriculture contributes about 13 percent to the country's GDP and employs around 33 percent of its workforce. Of the total cultivable land of (2.9 million hectares), 65 percent (1.9 million hectares) have been cultivated with agricultural crops. Paddy account for 40 percent of the agricultural land while Coconut, tea and rubber is grown on 39 percent.

The remaining (21 percent) includes field crops, horticultural crops and other export crops. The end of terrorism has provided a huge arable lands to be used for productive purposes. This will complement the efforts to improve the agricultural sector in future, sources said.

Top priority had also been given to shift from low-value added products to high value added agricultural products supported by sustained improvements in productivity and competitiveness in international markets.