Oct 16, Colombo: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has established a Presidential Task Force for Green Agriculture. The relevant gazette notification was issued by the Presidential Secretariat with the signature of Secretary to the President P. B. Jayasundera.

It has been emphatically stated in the Policy Statement: “Vistas of Prosperity and splendor” that action would be initiated to build a developed agricultural economy and to create an opportunity for the local and international consumer to obtain toxin-free agricultural products within the next decade as well as to introduce eco-friendly crops.

It is the foremost objective of the Government to create an eco-friendly healthy green agriculture through the means of livelihood thereby minimizing the chemical waste materials being added to the soil and water, President’s Media Division said.

Attention has been drawn on the possibility of benefits being accrued locally, as well as, internationally, through marching towards a sustainable green agriculture by undertaking eco-friendly organic farming by the adaption of the state-of-the art technology.

Taking into consideration the need for unhygienic agro chemicals to be minimized through research and new inventions and for eco-friendly organic fertilizer production that suit the local environmental conditions to be incentivized, President Rajapaksa appointed this Task Force yesterday (15) through an Extraordinary Gazette notification.

The Task Force chaired by Mr. Vijith Welikala has 14 members. Mr. Vernon Perera, Additional Secretary to the President, has been appointed as Secretary of the said Task Force.

The members of the Presidential Task Force for Green Agriculture are
01. Mr. Vijith Welikala, Chairman, Wild Holidays (Pvt.) Ltd.
02. Mr. Lalith Senevirathna
03. Mr. S.K.B. Kasun Tharaka Amal, Director, Biogenic Green Technology Research Institute
04. Mr. Malinda Senevirathna , Director, Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute
05. Mr. R.B. Rasika Thusitha Kumara, Climate Smart Agriculture Coordinator, Vavuniya and Mannar
Districts, Eco Friendly Farming Training Consultant
06. Dr. B.K.J. Kavantissa , Chief Executive Officer, “Siyapatha” International Education and Training Institute (Pvt.) Ltd.
07. Mr. Samantha Fernando, Kangara Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd.
08. Mr. Samuditha Kumarasinghe, Lanka Bio fertilizers (Pvt.) Ltd.
09. Mr. Ajith Randunu , Green Force Agriculture (Pvt.) Ltd
10. Mr. N.M. Khalid, Lanka Nature Power (Pvt.) Ltd.
11. Mr. Shammi Kirinde, Bio Foods (Pvt.) Ltd.
12. Ms. Nirmala Karewgoda, Hysoung ONB (Pvt.) Ltd
13. Mr. Chaminda Hettikankanamge, R.K.G. Bio Green Farm
14. Mr. Nishan de Silva, Lorance’s Liquid Fertilizer.

The Members of this Presidential Task Force are responsible for
1. Formulating a systematic program for sustainable maintenance of green agriculture,
2. Identifying the organic fertilizer required for various crops and improving the quality of such fertilizer production, 3. Producing pesticides and weedicides locally,
4. Identifying methodologies and monitoring mechanism for importing the limited scale possible shortages with high standards on the approval of the Sri Lanka Standards Institute in meeting the requirements through local production,
5. Enhancing the communication in transmitting to the public the health-related socio-economic benefits to be accrued from organic food production and consumption and
6. Enlisting the active support of the Public Service in this process and broadening the organic agriculture extension services at field level.

Through the gazette, the President directed the Presidential Task Force for Green Agriculture to liaise with Economic Revival and Poverty Alleviation Task Force and the Presidential Task Force for the creation of a Green Sri Lanka with sustainable Solutions for climate Changes.

The Task Force is directed to submit reports to the President at least once a month.

Relevant Gazette Notification