Home garden project in East
by Rohana JAYALAL
The Ministry of Nation Building in collaboration with the Eastern
Provincial Council will launch a pilot project to grow chillies, green
gram, soya, onions, kurakkan and undu in home gardens in the Eastern
Province, said Minister of Nation Building Susantha Punchinilame.
The program would be started during the next Maha Season with the
participation of 30,000 families.
According to Minister Punchinilame, the Ministry of Agriculture and
the Samurdhi Authority would assist the Ministry of Nation Building in
this project and provide seeds and organic fertiliser and also assist in
land preparation for cultivation if necessary.
Each family would be given eight country hens and two cockerels to
encourage the backyard poultry industry which would enable farmers'
families to improve their nutrition level.
According to the Minister, this cultivation project would help
farmers' families in the East as well as in other parts of the country
to reduce imports of agricultural produce in the future, as suggested in
the 2009 Budget.
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