He said this during the Cabinet media briefing held at the Government Information Department last day (02).

He noted that in the face of this global crisis, Sri Lanka has certified food security and the mechanism for the supply of rice, vegetables and other essential items required for the next four months has been guaranteed. Hence, he assured the public that there was no need to have any fears regarding the food security of Sri Lanka.

However, he noted that due to the prevailing crisis in the world, there could be a shortage of imported food items, but the Agriculture Minister has proposed a special programme to overcome this situation. He said that the Agriculture Ministry is scheduled to launch the ‘Saubhagya’ programme on the 09th of April which will be implemented island-wide.

Under this project, the government would encourage and assist all Sri Lankans to cultivate home gardens, in small groups and initiate mall scale and large scale agricultural projects. The government would render their assistance to provide the required saplings and seeds required for these projects including specific crops such as Peanuts, Undu, Maize, Mung Beans, Big Onions, Red Onions, Green Chillies, Potatoes, Cowpea, Soya and Turmeric.

The government urged the state and private sector employees currently away from work and at home, to render their fullest support for this project.