Govt. to boost food production, alternative revenue channels
The government has tasked all key state agencies involved in food production to increase supply and reduce poverty in the provinces and create opportunities to boost revenues. In this respect a new gazette was issued to initiate the Task Force for Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation on April 22 with the aim of boosting exports and increasing local food production alongside kick-starting all local industries in the wake of the new pandemic situation that has resulted in a suspension of non-essential imports.
Export Development Board ( EDB) Chairman Prabash Subasinghe, who is a member of this task force, told the Business Times that they were to establish smaller groupings in a bid to come out with a plan of action.
This is aimed at kick-starting the economy, he said adding that currently they are much better than they were about a month back.
In terms of factory operations at least 60-70 per cent of the industries are back at work, he said.
This task force is aimed at aligning the national development programmes to the national building strategy planned out in the state policy vision “’Vistas of
Prosperity and Splendour”.
This also looks at reviving the SME sector and expanding access for finance through the financial institutions as appropriate for rural, estate and low income earning people to be directly linked to the local economic empowerment process as entrepreneurs.
In this respect, the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) and the EDB are to obtain maximum economic contribution and export through value addition in new technology utilisation for export plantation products, such as tea, rubber, coconut, cinnamon, pepper, to make quality tea, coconut oil and spices, the gazette stated.
SLTB Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda explained that they had already established a small group and were studying the different opportunities available for bringing in extra revenue to the plantations.
They were also looking at utilising uncultivable arable land for cultivation and ensure that the industry is able to increase revenue generation through other alternative sources on the plantations as well, he noted. In this regard, the state would be looking at providing enhanced financial services to these sectors, he said.
The gazette has stated that the traditional industries need to be modernized with new technologies and create new sources of income going beyond the traditional framework in the face of prevailing global economic conditions, and take steps to improve production sectors such as dairy, eggs, coconut, spices, dried fish and preserved food products, textile, face masks and sanitary products, furniture, ornaments and fertilizer targeting the export market.
Moreover, under the current circumstances the workforce is to be encouraged to work from home using systematic procedures adopted to ensure maximum economic productivity of such workforce.
In addition the rural folk are to enhance cultivation of food products and the supermarket networks to be engaged to collect all food to be sold direct to the consumer and thereby increase income levels of the rural population.
While the task force has met just once, there is no deadline set to come up with a work plan but the stakeholders will be asked to present from time to time their updates on the situation.
This task force is headed by the President’s Special Envoy Basil Rajapaksa.