The District Agriculture Committee, which examines the progress of many sectors related to the agricultural sector including Agricultural Services, Animal Husbandry, Aquaculture, Agricultural Insurance Boards, Plantation Trust, Small Tea Estates, Rubber, Tea Development, Samurdhi Departments, met today (06) in the morning at the District Secretariat Auditorium. 

In relation to the Department of Agriculture, last year, about 60% progress has been made in the cultivation of vegetables and fruits in the district, and due to the damage caused by insects to a certain extent and the damage caused by rila and other animals to a significant extent, the farmers who are doing commercial cultivation have given some attention to abandoning their crops. In particular, the issue of Rila damage was discussed and many issues including the removal of obstacles to the release of firearms to selected areas and the possibility of exchanging firearms under guard licenses were discussed there.

It was announced that under the CResMPA project, an amount of 40 million has been allocated to cover ten divisional secretariats of the district, of which seven projects have been started so far and the work on the two projects of Bandara Dam and Kehel Patta Dam has been completed.

Cinnamon, pepper, coffee, cloves, cocoa and nutmeg plantations under the existing horticulture, mushroom, beekeeping and horticulture promotion program, post-harvest technology agriculture grants, export agriculture zone programs as well as the productivity promotion program under the export agriculture department. 

The target for coconut cultivation in 2024 is twenty thousand coconut trees and four thousand coconut trees are expected to be planted in this quarter. It was stated here that 32% contribution to local production related to rubber cultivation in 2023 has been made from Kegalle district.

It was suggested by the representatives of farmers' associations to further popularize banana cultivation in the district and also to focus on the distribution of hybrid coconut saplings as well as coconut saplings cultivated in the old way.

Along with this event, the District Environment Committee also met.

District Governor/ District Secretary Ranjana Jayasinghe, Additional District Secretary (Administration) K.G.S. Nishantha, Additional District Secretary (Lands) Dilip Nishantha, District Planning Director A.A. Weerakoon, Agriculture Director Manjula Pinnalanda, Agricultural Development Assistant Commissioner Chaminda Padma Kumara, Deputy Director of Central Environment Authority Mr. R.M.S.B. Ratnayake, Divisional Secretaries, Assistant Divisional Secretaries and heads of government institutions related to agriculture and environment were present on this occasion.