President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday called for fresh ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking on developing agriculture, industry and other sectors.
“The traditional concept of Yala-Maha seasonal harvesting is completely out of date with the modern realities of climate change and social transformation. New agricultural seasons are needed to improve our agricultural output,” President Sirisena told media heads and journalists at the President’s House.
The President said he had studied and sought expert opinions on this matter because the agricultural sector can no longer depend on the outdated Yala-Maha concept, which is dependent on the weather.
“We have to think beyond these traditional concepts and practices to develop agriculture and other sectors. An agricultural modernisation drive is already underway,” he said.
Developing agriculture and enhancing local production of crops, was one way in which the cost of living could be reduced, he added. The newly formed Economic Council headed by him will strive to address these concerns and issues.
Protecting the consumer was of paramount importance, the President said. He urged the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to play a more pro-active role to safeguard the interests of the consumers islandwide.
Citing an example, he said some imported goods are sold at triple the face value declared at the point of entry (Colombo Port or Colombo Airport). This is an abhorrent practice that costs the consumer dearly and all steps must be taken to stop fleecing consumers in this manner.
The President recalled that agriculture and several other sectors have made vast strides during the past three years. “When we came to power in January 2015, the economy was facing an unprecedented crisis. Since then, we have taken many steps to lift the local economy. We should remember that the Western world had nearly imposed economic sanctions on us over human rights issues by this time.”
As an example, the President referred to the loss of European Union’s GSP Plus facility and the ban on fish exports to the EU as two major economic impediments faced by the country by 2015.
After intense negotiations and due to the present Government’s avowed commitment to Human Rights, these facilities have since been restored. Moreover, by 2015, most multilateral agencies such as the IMF were set on leaving the country. All these problems and further sanctions have now been averted.
“We have emerged out of these predicaments. But there is a lot more to be done. There are problems we have to solve on the economic front including corruption and non-utilisation of budgetary allocations.”
The President asserted he will fight within and outside the Government to eliminate corruption and implement the right development and pro-social policies, citing his long battle with the tobacco and pharma industries.
The authorities should also investigate the loss of a huge chunk of State revenue through various non-legal avenues. He has instructed the relevant agencies to keep track of borrowings and State revenue to ensure that they are used in the correct manner for the benefit of the public.