Sri Lanka allocates 232 million rupees for home gardening to boost agriculture

Sri Lanka had allocated 232 million rupees for home gardening projects to empower local agricultural activities in 2024, State Minister of Agriculture Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva said on Tuesday.

Addressing the media at the President’s Media Centre, Priyadarshana said increasing the agricultural yields was a main aim of the government, and they expect a bumper rice harvest of 3.6 million metric tons in the upcoming harvest season.

The demand for rice in Sri Lanka is 2.4 million metric tons a year, he said.

This increase is mainly due to the introduction of advanced agricultural technologies, the State Minister said.

The government has also asked farmers to diversify the crops they plant to enhance agricultural resilience, he said.

The State Minister said 425 million rupees have been earmarked to develop Sri Lanka’s irrigation system, ensuring a consistent and reliable water supply for farmers. (SI)