Sri Lanka to donate 7500 MT of rice to Somalia

[Coeus]

Sri Lanka plans to come to the aid of famine-stricken Somalia where, according to the United Nations, 250,000 people are at risk of starvation and more than 13 million people need aid.

The Cabinet of Sri Lankan government has decided to donate 7,500 metric tons (MT) of rice to Somalia and approved the release of 15,000 MT of paddy from Ampara and Polonnaruwa districts to produce rice for the purpose.

The measure was taken during the regular weekly cabinet meeting held on Wednesday when the paddy storage facilities were discussed.

The Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando has informed the cabinet that storage facilities for 100,000 MT of paddy is available in the 2011/2012 Maha season.

Storage facilities for an additional 50,000 MT are also available with the Paddy Marketing Board in the paddy growing districts for the in 2011/2012 Maha season harvest.

Additional storage facilities will be available with the cooperative societies and new facilities being constructed under the Deyata Kirula 2012 Project at Oyamaduwa in Anuradhapura district.

Around 30,000 farmer families in liberated Northern districts of Mannar, Mullativu, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya will cultivate 80,000 to 100,000 acres of land for the first time in the Maha season of 2011/ 2012 which runs from September 2011 to March 2012.

Sri Lanka is self-sufficient in rice production since 2005 and exploring the possibility of exporting rice to several African and Middle East countries including Saudi Arabia in the future.