President sets up Green Agriculture Operative Centre

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has decided to establish a Green Agriculture Operative Centre to systematically and sustainably fulfil the priorities identified to make Sri Lanka a ‘green’ country.

This is being implemented under the direction of Defence Staff Chief and Army Commander Gen. Shavendra Silva.

The President instructed that this Operative Centre should give priority to a number of functions including the amalgamation of Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Ltd. and Ceylon Fertilisers Company Ltd. as the National Organic Fertiliser and Distribution Company, encouragement of production of solid and liquid organic fertilisers in accordance with standards, providing fertilisers free of charge to the farmers on time, fulfilling the fertiliser demand in the district, accelerating the production of paddy, maize and other grains, fruits and vegetables, promotion of quality seeds and seedlings suitable for green agriculture, coordination of all officials from the highest level to the ground level involved in agriculture, distribution of food crop products and the promotion of health education and communication programs on organic food consumption.

The Operative Centre should also coordinate with the two Presidential Task Forces established to transform Sri Lanka into a Green Social Economy with sustainable solutions to climate change.

The Operative Centre for Green Agriculture is also responsible for organising the National Green Economy Council, which holds meetings once in every two weeks under the chairmanship of the President.