President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened a meeting on the morning of August 11 at the Presidential Secretariat to review the progress of projects under the 2025 budget for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, and to discuss pre-budget proposals for 2026.
During the meeting, President Dissanayake held detailed discussions with officials from the agriculture, livestock, land, and irrigation sectors, issuing directives to expedite the resolution of state-owned land issues and to develop a comprehensive sector-wide data management system, according to a statement from the President’s Media Division.
Emphasizing the importance of prioritizing sectors critical to national economic revival, the President instructed officials to focus on initiatives that would strengthen agriculture, livestock, land, and irrigation’s contribution to economic growth. He reaffirmed that these sectors are central to the government’s strategy to eradicate rural poverty and integrate rural communities into the broader economy.
Highlighting the strategic role of the livestock sector, President Dissanayake announced that the upcoming budget will place special emphasis on transforming local dairy production and livestock farming into fully developed industries.
The President further stressed that financial allocations alone are insufficient. He called for stronger mechanisms to ensure project benefits effectively reach the public.
The meeting was attended by Minister K.D. Lalakantha, Deputy Ministers Namal Karunaratne and Dr. Susil Ranasinghe, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Additional Secretary Kapila Janaka Bandara, and senior ministry officials.
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