Rs.1600Mn. allocated this year for setting up 160 villages

During this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Plantation Industries has taken steps to allocate an amount of Rs.1600 million to establish 160 villages in 25 districts with 06 youth agri entrepreneurship villages in each district.

Accordingly, the program to establish 160 youth agri-entrepreneurship villages covering all 25 districts of the island is being implemented and arrangements have been made to provide an amount of one million rupees to each village under the first phase, said Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries.

The aim of this program is to attract the youth community to agriculture and to introduce them to new agricultural technology, to carry out agricultural activities targeting local markets and exports, and to direct the youth community to agricultural products that are in high demand.

A discussion was held yesterday (16) regarding the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Village Program at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute. The discussion was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, and the officials of the said ministry as well as the provincial agriculture officials and all the officials of the institutions affiliated to the ministry participated.

The approval of the Cabinet has been received for this program. And the government has given all the necessary financial allocations for this year. Accordingly, an amount of Rs.1600 million has been planned to be given to youth agri-entrepreneurship villages.

Under this, projects for vegetables, fruits, other crops, plantation crops, industries related to fish products, cultivation in sheltered houses, livestock related products etc. are to be implemented in these villages.

The Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mahinda Amaraweera, who expressed his opinion, emphasized that there is a situation where the youth community is moving away from farming in our country.

In order to attract the youth community to agriculture, they need to establish their confidence in it. I informed the Cabinet in this regard. I presented the project report specifically on the Youth Agri-Entrepreneurship Village Programme. The government has given a good response in this regard.

Therefore, implementation of this program should receive the support of everyone, the minister further stated.

On this occasion, State Ministers Mr.D.B. Herat, Mr. Mohan Priyadarshana Silva and the Secretary of the Ministry Mr. Janaka Dharmakeerthy were also present.

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