Jawans To Double Up As Kisans: Sri Lankan Army To Cultivate Barren Land To Boost Food Production And Promote Food Security

The Sri Lanka Army will cultivate over 1,500 acres of barren or abandoned state land by taking part in the government’s cultivation drive aimed at multiplying food production and averting any shortage in the future, a local media report said on Friday.

The army established its Green Agriculture Steering Committee (GASC) on Thursday to supplement and promote the food security programme in the country which is facing its worst economic crisis. The crisis has led to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas, fuel and toilet paper, with Sri Lankans being forced to wait in lines for hours outside stores to buy fuel and cooking gas.

The emergency project to be kicked off by early July as a supportive mechanism to the government’s cultivation drive is spearheaded by Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army. Major General Jagath Kodithuwakku, the Chief of Staff, is set to supervise the entire project.

The troops will first prepare the ground by weeding, tilling and preparing beds for the cultivation of selected seed varieties in consultation with agricultural experts. All Security Force Headquarters and formations across the country are currently screening possibilities for adding their weight to the task at regional level.

The identification of state lands at the regional level will be done in consultation with respective governors, district and divisional secretariats, land officials and grama seva officials before the commencement of preliminary ground-preparing work in selected lands, the report said.

At the inaugural session, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army briefed the new committee on the scope of the national endeavor and how the Army could join hands with the agricultural sector to reach national goals and multiply food production process through immediate cultivation of unattended lands to avert any shortage of food varieties in future.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka has decided to import 50,000 metric tonnes of rice under the Indian credit line to curb an abnormal rise in rice prices. The decision was taken after a discussion held at the Prime Minister’s Office to allocate funds to the State Trading Corporation under the Indian loan assistance programme, news portal EconomyNext reported.

In March, India extended a USD 1 billion credit line to the cash-strapped Sri Lankan government to tide over the current economic turmoil as well as in dealing with the food shortage. After an agreement to extend the line of credit was inked, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has always stood with the people of Sri Lanka and will continue to extend all possible support to the country.

In April 2021, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced a ban on chemical fertilisers, which led to a crippling blow to the production of rice and other essential food items. Prior to the ban, Sri Lanka was self-sufficient in rice production. The situation was exacerbated by an acute scarcity of foreign exchange reserves, which meant that the Sri Lankan economy would head into a tailspin.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said recently in Parliament that Sri Lanka will need USD 5 billion to ensure that the people’s daily lives are not disrupted for the next six months. The nearly bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.

Sri Lanka is awaiting official confirmation from India on a new credit line that would allow the cash-strapped nation to have supplies of petrol and diesel for the next four months, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said on Friday.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said that a new Credit Line provided by India will support the cash-strapped island nation’s fuel purchase for another four months from July even as an LPG shipment of 3,500 MT reached Sri Lanka.

(With Inputs From PTI)